Calvert
by emeraldgreen90
Summary: Alone and heartsick over the absence of his beloved,Rose,as she continues her life in the living world, Jack Dawson sinks into depression only to be given new found hope and the offer of a lifetime from a beautiful stranger who's more than what she seems.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: all characters that were used in James Cameron's 1997 film Titanic whether real or fictional belong to him. All others depicted in this fanfic are entirely fictional and created by me.**

**Chapter 1**

He didn't remember dying, but he remembered the pain. It was the cold grip of death sinking its fingers into his skin robbing him of all strength and life. He remembered the bite of the freezing water, its daggers ripping and tearing into his flesh. He was almost surprised that there wasn't any blood. As much as it hurt, he thought there should be. He remembered her face. It was frozen and pale; her hair was covered in ice. Her eyes, once a beautiful green, had become a cold, winter, blue. Rose Dewitt Bukater, the woman he had met and fallen in love with in a span of only three days. To him however, it did not feel like three days. It felt as if he had known her for a lifetime. As if he had been waiting for her his entire life and even though he was dead he would not trade those days for anything. He remembered her final words to him. "I love you," she had said.

But he had not allowed it. His heart ached to return the words; he so desperately wanted to tell her. He had planned to tell her when they made it to New York together but that chance never came. He would have said it if it were not for the situation. Rose was saying goodbye and that was something he could not allow. Instead he made her promise to "never let go" to go on, to be happy, live her life for both of them, to not cry for what they will not have but find joy in what they had. Still, not a day goes by where he wished he had said it.

Days? What were days here? There was no sense of time. Here he was back aboard the Titanic, sailing across the Atlantic, wind ripping through his hair, the smell of the sea, and yet they seemed to be going nowhere. It was hard to tell if he was moving .But the waves were crashing at the bow as though they were traveling at top speed. Were they still headed to New York? Would they see land soon? He didn't know. The sun neither rose nor set. It just stayed at its highest point in the sky. Strangely, Jack couldn't help but notice that all the clocks aboard the ship stopped at 2:20 in the morning and yet out here it was always sunny.

Was this heaven or some strange limbo between life and death? If this was heaven this wasn't exactly what Jack had in mind. It seemed a cruel punishment to condemn the Titanic's lost passengers to an eternity aboard a ship that resulted in their deaths.

Jack had lived a free spirited life. No worries, just going wherever the wind may take him. The moment Rose had entered it made him realize just how lonely he truly was. Of course there was Fabrizio; but Rose opened up something new inside of him. She may not have been the first woman to enter his life; but she was the first to have any kind of effect on him. The others, he couldn't deny, were beautiful. But that's all they were and to Jack there was much more to a woman than just a pretty face. As an artist you learn to look beyond such superficial things and into the soul of the person. Rose was incredibly different. Her name truly fit her, beautiful to look at but beware of thorns. She was the full package.

Arms folded across his chest Jack leaned over the bow railing. His left foot resting on the first rail from the bottom. It was here where Jack spent most of his time. It was his favorite part of the ship and the place where felt the biggest connection to Rose. He remembered how he taught her to fly. The sound of her voice and her childlike enthusiasm made his heart flutter. He didn't have two dimes to his name. But at that moment he wanted to give her everything. He wanted to give her the world. If he was the king of the world, she was his queen. The feel of her body fit so snug against his chest as if it belonged there. Her soft smooth hands dancing and intertwining with his rough calloused ones. Her scent, the smell of rose water still lingered in his nostrils. It was a smell he would never forget. But most of all he remembered her kiss, their first kiss at the bow. What started off slow and unsure began to build with unrestrained passion. The soft, wet smoothness of her lips pushing insistently against his own, parting them, paving the way for her tongue to dance with his. Her arm hooked around his neck and her delicate fingers tangled into his hair, drawing him close. Jack would have given anything to feel that kiss again.

"Thinking about her?"

Jack looked up from his thoughts and turned to see a woman standing not far from him looking out over the ocean.

"Rose?" she asked again turning at last to face him.

Jack's first thought was that she looked absolutely stunning. She wore a long sleeved black silk gown cut into a v-like shape at the neck. The dress hugged her shapely figure. Her hair was honey blonde styled in little ringlets that traveled down the length of her back. It was a style that painfully reminded him of Rose. The most bewitching quality about her was her eyes. They were as blue as sapphires and above them were two perfectly arched eyebrows that resembled a bird in flight.

Jack couldn't recall ever seeing this woman before, or anyone so beautiful, apart from Rose. To him no one was as beautiful as her. This woman's looks were almost unnaturally beautiful. She didn't appear to be real. Still he couldn't deny that the sight of this woman made his palms sweat and his tongue feel thick.

"I'm—I'm sorry?"

"Rose. You're thinking about Rose."

This time her words didn't come as a question but more of an accusation. Even her voice was silky and smooth. She spoke with poise and class. It was almost regal.

"How do you know about..."

"I know a lot about you…..and her."

"Have we met?" He asked making a rotating gesture with his hands, "I don't think I've ever seen you before."

A slow smile spread across her lips. It was a cunning smile, a knowing smile. The sight of it sent a cold chill down his spine.

"Yes, we have met. As a matter of fact I would say we know each other quite intimately."

Jack's eyebrows wrinkled. What was she talking about? Jack wasn't always good at remembering names, but he knew faces, and he would have remembered hers. Frustrated he tried to think of any encounter that they might have had but nothing came to mind. Jack wasn't in the mood for games and he didn't appreciate the one she was playing with him.

He lifted an arm and let it fall to his side "Alright, am I supposed to know you?"

"I should say you should."

"Well why don't you just tell me because I'm beginning to lose my patience."

"But where's the fun in that?"

Jack fought to control his temper and frustration from seeping into his voice but he feared he was unsuccessful. "Look lady, I don't know who you are, or how you know me but I'm really not in the mood for games. If you don't mind I'd like to be left alone."

"I believe this is a public ship, Jack. I have just as much right to be up here as you."

He found her smile irritating. She was patronizing him like a parent would a child.

"Fine if you're not leaving I will." Jack fumed.

"Jack." The woman said with a rising inflection in her voice

"Forget it!" he shouted back.

Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew and before Jack could take another step, there she was standing right in front of him. Wisps of black vapor rose from her black dress as if she emerged from a cloud of smoke.

"Shit!" Jack said stumbling back a couple steps

"I don't believe I was finished talking. Are you absolutely positive you don't know who I am?"

"Lady, I already told you, I don't know you." He said stressing on each word.

"Come now Jack, think about it, think really hard. Our first encounter was when you were eight years old, that day you went ice fishing with your father. You fell in and nearly drowned, but not before feeling the cold painful sensation of the freezing water prickling at your flesh, which I believe you described as 'a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body '?"

When she saw that Jack wasn't going to say anything she continued. "You almost died and as you lied sprawled out in the snow with your father desperately trying to revive you, you felt the presence of someone there with you. You saw someone, although you couldn't make out who it was."

Jack had only just realized that he had been holding his breath. His eyes went wide.

"Who are you?"His voice came barely above a whisper.

"Why….I'm the reason why you're here, why everyone is here. Tommy, Fabrizio, Helga, you, and all 1500 passengers….well, most of the 1500."

"What do you mean 'most '?"

"Usually in some cases when people die their spirit travels to the one place in their life in which they were the happiest. In your case it was the Titanic and I imagine that was because of Rose wasn't it?"

"Are you….an angel or something?"

"I am of a sort."

Jack's eyes wandered down to her black dress "but you don't look like, I mean…"

"The lack of my birdlike wings and a flowing white gown misleads you?"

"We'll you know, I just kind of expected…"

Her voice came cold and serious "I'm not that kind of angel."

"Jack you're a bright young man. You know who I am. It's right there in the back of your mind. Why won't you say it?" Her arms slid over his chest and around his neck as if embracing a lover. Jack gently but firmly took hold of her wrists and pulled them away.

"Who am I Jack?"

He knew she was right. He did know but he was afraid to say it, he was afraid not to say it. She just looked at him with those innocent blue eyes. But Jack knew they were anything but innocent. He knew. This was no ordinary woman. He removed his hands from her wrists as if they were hot coals. Still she stood there unblinking patiently waiting for his reply.

"Death."

He saw the slightest flick of her eyes, signaling that he was right.

"You'll have to forgive me I left my black cloak and scythe at home."

"Death?"

"Right again Mr. Dawson. But you can just call me Morana"

"You're a woman."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"

"No not at all. I'm just a little surprised that's all."

"I know." She sighed. "I've seen the way mankind has depicted me over the years. 'The Grim Reaper', I believe is what you all call me. A dried up skeleton in a hooded cloak?"

"How nice of you all."She said rolling her eyes. "I'm always portrayed in such a negative light. No one ever has anything nice to say or is happy to see me. People think I'm evil, when they fail to realize I'm just doing the job no one else wants to do."

"So….what are you doing here? I'm already dead."

"You didn't answer my question."

"What question?"

"You were thinking about Rose. Correct?"

Jack leaned back over the rail and clasped his hands together. He didn't like the idea of talking to a complete stranger about Rose. It was too personal. But in the end he figured it didn't matter anyway, with her being death and all.

"Yes, I was. I miss her. There isn't a day that goes by where she doesn't cross my mind."

"I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that Rose misses you as well."

"I'm sure she does." Jack said with quiet finality. "So how long have I been dead?"

"I'd say about nine years."

"Really? That was fast. It still feels like yesterday."

"Time has no meaning here Jack. What may seem like a simple day for you could mean several months to a year in the living world."

"I see."

"I can see that you're not really in the talkative mood so I'm just going to get to the point of why I'm here. Jack Dawson I wish to make you a proposition."

He looked up. "A proposition? What kind of proposition?"

There was that smile again. She gave a slight shrug of her shoulder "Oh it's nothing really. What would you say if I told you that I was going to give you your life back?"

Jack nearly jumped with excitement. Was she serious? Was he really hearing this? Without thinking he grabbed both sides of Morana's shoulders and shook her.

"Really? You're really going to give me my life back? This is great! Thank you, thank you so much! This is fantastic, I can finally see Rose again! We can live out our lives together, grow old and have children. We'll do all the things we said we would do together. Yes! Thank you Morana!"

"Hold on there Jack, this isn't that kind of a gift."

"What do you mean?"

"You were meant to die on the Titanic, regardless if you met Rose or not. That was your time and you were never meant to make it to New York. That's just the way it is. This gift that I'm giving you is not a permanent one."

Jack could feel his hopes fading. He should've known. Such a thing was far too good to be true.

"Alright, so what's the catch?"

"I'm going to give you back your life but it will only be for a certain amount of time."

"And…how long will I have?"

"One month."

"A month? Well,why not a year?"

"Do you want to make it a week?"

Jack scowled "Alright fine, a month. But it hardly seems like enough time for anything."

"Trust me it's enough. It's enough time for you to tell her how much you love her, how you think of her always, or simply live out those days enjoying each others' loving embrace. Isn't that what you want? The chance to tell her how you feel?"

Jack ran his fingers through his hair "I don't know it doesn't seem fair. I would be walking back into Rose's life only to leave her again. I couldn't possibly put her through that. Besides its been nine years. I'm just a small chapter in her life. I know she misses me but I'm sure she's placed me in the back of her mind by now."

Morana turned with her back to the railing. "On that Jack, I beg to differ. You said it yourself you know she misses you. Tell me, how do you know this?"

Jack paused a moment to gather his thoughts. "Because sometimes when I'm alone I can feel it, as if her heart is crying out for mine." He clutched a hand over his chest. "Sometimes it's painful like a constant ache in my chest. After all this time I spent being dead I would've thought that I could no longer feel pain, but I do. And somehow it feels far worse dying."

Jack's eyes were brimming with tears. He tried to blink them back but a few of them escaped.

Morana lifted a hand to cup his face and turned it towards her. "Jack, take my hand."

He looked at her doubtfully.

"It's alright."

He hesitated a bit before finally grasping her hand. All around them everything began to spin at lightning speed the ship was beginning to fade and morph into another place. The boat deck beneath his feet suddenly changed into a hard wooden floor and the sky above him had become a drywall ceiling with peeling paint. A dresser had slammed down onto the floor along with a simple writing desk. The air smelled of mildew, no longer the smell of the sea. After a few moments the room stopped shifting.

"Where are we?"

"Rose's bed room, nine years ago, the following night after the Titanic sank. A lot of the surviving passengers were left with nothing so a lot of the hotels and apartment buildings were offering food and shelter."

"What is that noise?"

"See for yourself."

Jack had heard the sound of soft sniffling. On the far side of the room he saw a figure lying on the bed locked in a fetal position. The moonlight reflected the square shape of the window over the still form. It was the only light source in the entire room. When he saw what it was his heart stopped. It was Rose, arms locked tightly together and in her hands she looked to be clutching what he recognized as the Heart of the Ocean diamond necklace. She was grasping it over her heart. A flood of emotions overwhelmed him. He was torn between intense joy in seeing her again and yet aching pain at seeing her in such a broken state. She was sobbing uncontrollably. Every now and then short breaths escaped her lips. The tear stains on her cheeks did not have time to dry before knew tears fell. Jack knelt beside her bed and reached out to cup the side of her face only to find that he couldn't. His hand passed right through her.

"Jack," he heard her moan in between her sobs "Why did you leave me? Why did you force me to make that promise? I can't do this without you. I'm not strong enough. I loved you, I still love you, and yet I hate you for leaving me."

"I'm right here." He said in a gentle and consoling voice but he knew it was no use she could not hear him.

"She did this nearly every night for almost year you know." Morana said stepping close behind him.

"In time though she started to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. She got a job, moved out of New York and moved down to Pennsylvania. I believe she's working as an actress now. Of course there are times when her mind would drift to thoughts of you and she would start crying again. Not as much as she used to, but I can tell it's still painful to think about."

Jack looked over his shoulder. "She's an actress?"

"Well, an up and coming." Morana snapped her fingers and the room began to shift again. Rose's figure blew away like dust in the wind and once again Jack found himself to be in a completely different room. This room was a lot cleaner, white walls, a simple full sized bed neatly made with a big red comforter. There was a brown trunk lying open with a mess of clothes inside. The wooden floor was clean enough to eat off of.

"Now where are we?"

"Rose's current apartment." said Morana falling back onto Rose's bed. "I'd say the girl is doing pretty well for herself."

Jack was no longer listening. He walked over to Rose's dresser and spotted something. "What's this?" Morana leaped from the bed to where he stood and saw what he was referring to.

"Hmm looks like a flyer for tonight's show." She cleared her throat.

**The Actors Playhouse**

_**Is proud to present:**_

"**Angels of Streams"**

Starring Jacob Hemminger, Claudia Winters, and Rose Dawson.

Claimed to be the most astonishing play of the year.

9:00pm May 1 –June 9, 1921

Hillman Theatre

Come and witness this marvelous spectacle.

"Where's Rose?"

"It is about 8:30 I imagine she has already gone. So Mr. Dawson, do you accept my offer?"

"Let me get this straight. You give me my life back…. and I get one month to spend with Rose?"

"That's right." she said with a slight lilt in her voice.

"Why are you doing this? If your death shouldn't you be taking lives not granting them?"

"This is true but I see this as a special case. I like you Jack, you've led a very interesting life. Your death was already planned but what I had not counted on was you falling in love with Rose. That I did not see. It made my job a little more complicated. In the end I even felt bad for having to take you. As you were dying in the water the most I could do was extend your life long enough for you to say what you felt. And even then you didn't exactly say what I thought you would. I must say I was a little disappointed. I may be death Jack, but I don't exactly take pleasure in breaking families apart and ending such loving relationships. I'm giving you a very rare opportunity, one that I don't give often."

"So just think of this as a gift. You and Rose only had three days together. I'm giving you one month. No more, no less. You are free to do whatever you want. When your time is up you will return to the land of the dead and the next time you see Rose will be when she meets her death, however long that might be. So Mr. Dawson, what is your decision?"

Jack looked down at the flyer and thought about it for a moment. It had been so long since he had seen Rose and the thought of holding her again, kissing her soft lips again made his heart ache with longing. At the same time it felt wrong somehow. Morana said that his time was done, it didn't seem right to jump back into Rose's life especially when things were going so well for her. Who knows she might even have someone now and even if she didn't there was still no future for them, they could never get married. His mind was screaming for him to decline Morana's offer. But his heart ached to see Rose again; he had to see her again, to hold her again, to touch her again. In the end his passion overtook his reason.

"Alright, when do we start?"

Morana snapped her fingers "Right now."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

She was surrounded by the red oak wood paneled walls of the small space that was her dressing room. The light of the oil lamps illuminated the room giving it a soft warm glow. Rose sat at her vanity mirror, carefully applying her makeup and adding the finishing touches to her hair, pulling it up into a messy bun. Outside her room was complete chaos, women scrambling in their undergarments for wardrobe and wigs, one of them was frantically searching for her other shoe, some of the other actors stood off to the side rehearsing the lines of their scripts. It was a typical evening at the Playhouse.

Rose heard the deep resonating voice of the great Henry Winchester, owner of the Playhouse walking through the halls calling out like a conductor on a train. Despite the chaotic chatter Henry had a voice that would make a foghorn jealous and he never had a problem speaking over people. He had a habit of talking loudly even when it wasn't necessary.

"Ten minutes, everyone, ten minutes, curtain goes up in ten minutes!"

"Ten minutes, Ms. Dawson," he said poking his head into Rose's room. Rose looked into her mirror to see him looking at her. He was a large man with a head of short blonde hair that was combed neatly to the side and a thick blonde beard with spots of white. His nose was hooked and narrow with laugh lines arcing on both sides. His eyes were small and were decorated with round wrinkles and crows feet that hid underneath a pair of thick bushy eyebrows. He was dressed in a black tuxedo that clearly looked to be too small for him. The buttons were straining so much against his big round belly that if he inhaled too deeply Rose thought they might pop.

"Thank you Henry, I'll be ready in a moment." She said while pinning the last few loose strands of hair.

As always, just before every show, Rose felt the nauseating feeling of butterflies filling her stomach. Anxiety gripped her. Her hands were shaking. She shouldn't be nervous, she's done this countless times before.

"Don't worry darlin', you're gonna do just fine."

"You really think so?"

"C'mon now gal, stop fishing for compliments." He said walking over and giving her a hard pat on the back that nearly knocked the wind out of her. "Of course you're gonna do well; Ya never let us down before. You're a natural."

"_Fishing for compliments"_ was a phrase Henry would often say to her whenever Rose began to doubt her abilities. The phrase meaning that she was criticizing herself to make someone praise her.

She let out a frustrated grunt "I just can't seem to stop shaking."

"Just stay calm. What have I told you? If at any moment should you feel nervous or scared just focus on someone in the audience and imagine that you're performing just for them."

That made her smile a little.

"I tell ya Rose, when you're acting on that stage it really does seem like you are in another place. Why I remember…what was the name that play?

"'Gabrielle's Choice'?" she offered

"No, no it wasn't that one. I reckon it was um..." Henry snapped his fingers trying to jog his memory. "'Casualties of Love,' yes that was the one. A spectacular performance we sold out every show. I think my favorite scene was when you and Michael were on stage and as he lay dying you held him in your arms, clutching him to your breast. Your emotions were so raw, so authentic, and so real. I really felt it. You made me believe that you had truly lost your lover. I don't think there was a single dry eye in the audience. It was magnificent."

"Yes," she said distantly, "that was one of my favorites as well." Rose didn't know what to do with her hands so she picked up her blush and started dabbing it on her face.

"Is somethin' else troubling you darlin'?"

"No, I'm fine."

"You know that you can talk to me about anything, I'm not one to pry, but if there's anything you want to talk about you know I'm here, anything at all. It doesn't necessarily have to be about the play."

"I'm fine, Henry." She said with small titter of laughter, "Honest."

"Alright then."

"Mr. Winchester!" said a young man bursting through door. He was a tall and gangly youth of 18 with brown hair.

"Damn it boy, don't you know how to knock?"

"Yes, yes I do sir, but the door was open and I—I heard your voice and-"

"Brian what in the sam hell are you doin' back here, you're supposed to be out front distributing the tickets!"

"Well yes sir I know, I was just coming back here to tell you we've sold out, the theater is full, we're ready to start. Also we've had a tiny problem out front."

"What kind of problem?"

"Some bloke tried to muscle past me, without a ticket. He practically demanded that I let him in without pay. Said he knew Ms. Dawson and had to see her, he was rather hostile, he was. I had to threaten to notify the authorities before he finally decided to leave."

That caught Rose's attention "What?"

"Were you expecting someone tonight darlin'?"

Apart from Rose's neighbors, Nancy and her husband Charlie, she hadn't been expecting anyone. She couldn't imagine who it could be.

"Did he say who he was?" Rose asked suddenly curious

"No, didn't give a name. It was strange the man was out of breath like he had ran a mile and it looked like he was having a hard time standing on his own two legs.

"Probably some poor drunken bastard." Henry said with a dismissive hand. "Thank you Brian return to your duties. On your way out be sure to tell the technicians to start dimming the lights we're ready to start." Brian gave a quick nod and walked out the door.

Henry knelt down in front of Rose and took her hand in his. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Henry..." She said playfully

He flung his hands up in a defensive gesture "Alright, Alright, you're fine, I understand." He took hold of her hand again and gave a gentle double pat on her wrist."

"Knock 'em dead"

It took some time for Jack to get accustomed to being back in his own body. It felt strange. His legs still felt like jelly. Had he the strength he would have pushed passed that guy at the ticket booth and the security officers at the door but in his current condition he found it a chore to simply stand. But Jack wasn't giving up that easily. Morana had been true to her word and he was thankful for her gift. The moment she snapped her fingers, Jack found himself waking up in the middle of the street with a crowd of people surrounding him in shock. Morana was even nice enough to give him a nice black suit for this occasion. Jack wasn't too fond of suits he thought them too confining. It even came with a tie. He hated the tie and didn't waste any time yanking it off and loosening a couple of the buttons on the white shirt. Even his hair was slicked back. He didn't have a mirror so he just mussed it over until he felt it was to his liking. Jack ran around for what seemed like forever, asking people for the address to the Actor's Playhouse. When he finally got there he wasn't allowed in, not without a ticket anyway.

He was determined. Jack snuck around back through the alleyway and climbed an iron staircase on the side of the building that led to an oak door bathed underneath the light of a small porch light. Jack thought it was a bit of a stretch that the door would be open but he figured he would take his chances. He scaled the steps but not without difficulty. As he suspected the door was locked. He took a deep breath and with all his strength he jammed his shoulder right into the door. It hurt like hell, but he did it again. The third time, the door finally gave way and Jack fell in. He didn't know where he was but he imagined he was somewhere backstage. He could hear the sound of echoed voices nearby and every now and the then the low rumble of laughter from the audience. He followed the voices, sneaking past the technicians and other workers backstage. The voices got louder and Jack knew he was getting closer. At last he found himself standing off stage behind the thick red curtain. He was careful not to expose himself too much or risk someone seeing him.

There she was, as beautiful as ever. But her looks had matured so much since the last time he saw her, and it made her all the more mesmerizing. Arms folded across his chest he watched her in awe, with a crooked smile on his face. She was doing it, she was really doing it. She was an actress. Jack wasn't really paying attention to what the play was about he had been watching her the entire time. She was a natural. Watching her smile and laugh was such a thrill. He thought his heart would burst. Jack couldn't wait to see her after the play. He visualized their reunion. He would be kissing her she would be kissing him. They wouldn't be able to take their hands off of each other. She would be crying, no doubt having tons of questions to ask him. He had no idea how he would explain to her how he got here. What would he say? Hello Rose, I'm back from the dead but death gave me a second chance to come and see you, so here I am, but I only get one month and then I'll have to go back. Yes, that will definitely clear things up. Who was he kidding? It would probably be best not to tell her, but how else would he explain it? Maybe he would just fake ignorance.

After a couple of hours the cast took their bow, the curtain fell and the play ended. Jack moved quickly to get out of the way before anyone could see him. He saw the cast members disperse to their dressing rooms and he closely followed behind Rose to hers. Jack pressed his back to the wall looking both ways checking to make sure the coast was clear. When he saw that it was, he slipped inside without making a sound. Rose's back was to him stuffing things into a large travel bag, by the looks of it she hadn't heard him come in. For a moment Jack lost his voice, he felt nervous, why was he nervous? He felt like he was meeting her for the first time. In his mind he started replaying what he was going to say and every time he thought he would say something he choked a little. His palms were sweating and he could feel his legs trying to give out again but he fought against it. At last he swallowed, he took a deep breath and said, "That was a great performance Rose, fantastic."

Rose's head whipped around at the sound of his voice and she did the last thing he expected. She screamed.

He jumped back "Hey! Rose, it's me!"

"Who are you!"

Jack's face scrunched together "What? Rose it's me. It's Jack." he said flattening a hand on his chest. He took several steps toward her and she took a few steps back. She knocked over the chair in front of her to block his way.

"I don't know you, how did you get past security?"

"What are you talking about? You do know me, I'm Jack Dawson. We met nine years ago on the Titanic!"

Rose's voice suddenly switched from fear to an angry hiss "I don't know who you are or how you know that name, but you need to leave right now."

If looks could kill, Jack thought he would be dead right now. He boldly stepped towards her, crossing over the fallen chair. He was desperate.

"Rose look at me, it's me, its Ja—"and then he saw the problem as he walked past Rose's vanity mirror. He took one look at himself, running his hands over his face and hair; he pulled at his cheeks to verify the realness of what he was seeing. His eyes were not his own, his face was not his own, his hair was not his own. His hair was dark brown and his eyes were brown. He did not look like himself. This was not him. This was not who he was. It was starting to make sense, the suit and the slicked back hair. Morana didn't give him a new wardrobe she gave him a new body.

"This isn't happening." Jack said under his breath as he stared at himself completely dumbstruck. He turned back to Rose and closed the gap between them. He grabbed hold of her shoulders and pinned her to the wall.

"What do you think you're doing, get off of me!"

"Rose please, please you have to listen to me!" she fought against his grip and managed to land a hard slap across his face that caused him to stagger back in pain."

"God damn it Rose, listen!" he growled. Jack couldn't hide his anger, not at her, but from the pain of her slap and his frustration at the situation. When he saw Morana again he was going to have a few choice words to say to her.

"What's going on in here?" bellowed a large man with a thick blonde beard and pot belly. Jack didn't know who the guy was nor did he care, he was much too focused on Rose. "Hey you, what the hell are you doing back here!" following close behind him was that little punk Jack had met at the ticket booth, a few of the other actors, and a handful of security officers.

"That's the guy!" the boy shouted pointing a finger at Jack and squeezing through the crowd. "That's him! That's the guy who tried to get in without a ticket!"

"You alright, Rose?" potbelly asked

Jack spoke up before she could answer. "Rose, you know me. You do! I'm Jack Dawson!"

"Alright there fella that's enough, let's get you out of here!"

Two of the officers came from behind Jack and tried to hook their arms through his to drag him away. He dodged them and lunged for Rose again but failed when one of the officers tackled him to the ground knocking the wind out of him.

"Been drinking tonight have we?"

"No I'm not drunk, god damn it, I am Jack Dawson!" He yelled as he wrestled with them. They finally hoisted him to his feet and started to drag him out the room while he thrashed against their grip. The look in Rose's eyes was painful to see. Jack would have much rather her say that she hated him than for her to say she didn't know him. Her face was a mixture of anger, confusion, and sadness. Her eyes were wet from the threat of tears. He thought that he too would cry from the obvious struggle that was going on in her head. Jack never wanted to be the cause of any of her pain, his only desire since the moment he met her was to make her smile.

Jack yelled until his voice was hoarse, desperate for her see, desperate for her to believe, despite his new appearance. Even as they dragged him down the hallway Jack's voice fell on deaf ears, until finally he was thrown out onto his stomach into the cold dark alleyway.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Jack struggled to push himself up onto his hands and knees. He winced in pain when he turned over one of his hands and saw that the skin was scraped and bleeding. The white shirt he wore was no longer white and had smudges of dirt and mud on it. He stumbled to his feet and dusted himself off trying to put together the pieces in his mind of what just happened. There he was, right in front of Rose, and the happy reunion he had hoped for had blown up in his face. Morana had not mentioned this part of the deal and Jack was furious at her for not doing so.

"Morana!" He yelled out into the night. "Morana show yourself right now!" Jack started pacing back and forth like a dog waiting to be let out of its cage. He let out a frustrated huff and ran both hands back through the hair that wasn't his.

"Morana!"

As if in answer, an eerie wind blew, which Jack recognized as Morana's way of announcing her arrival. It did not feel like an ordinary wind. It felt like some kind of force, almost like the feeling a person gets when they're being watched or sensing another person in the room. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and his stomach drop.

"You called?" she asked in that silky voice of hers.

"There you are!"He shouted as he marched towards her.

"Is something wrong?"

He jabbed a finger at her chest. "You're damn right something is wrong! What the hell is this?" Jack yelled pulling at his face and clothes. Morana, though slightly smaller than him, didn't seem at all intimidated by Jack and his anger, if anything she appeared bored by it.

"What's what?"

"This!This face and this body?"

"It's you."

"No it's not."

"Yes Jack, I'm afraid it is."

"What are you playing at? This wasn't part of the deal; you told me that you would give me my life back!"

"And I did. I said I would give you your life back. I did not say I would give you back your body."

"Well why didn't you put me back in my own body?"

She gave him a look as if to say it were stupid question. "Jack it's been nine years, I couldn't possibly place you back into your own body, it would be nothing but a pile of rotting meat and bones. I figured this one would suffice."

"Who is this guy anyway?"

Morana moved her hand as if she were pulling down an invisible zipper and a big black leather bound book appeared. She pulled out a pair of spectacles from the inside of her cleavage and started searching the book in a quick motion until she found the page she was looking for.

"Ah here we are." She said using her finger as a pointer. He goes by the name of Jonathan Calvert; age 25, working middle-class male, hobbies are fishing and wood carving. He used to live on a farm with his parents, left home when he was 18 and got a job here in Pennsylvania as a steel worker and has been working here ever since." She adjusted her glasses and started thumbing through the pages mumbling to herself. "Let's see…childhood illnesses….goals and ambitions…. bad habits… relationships…."

"Morana!"

"Hmm according to his timeline, my records show that he wasn't scheduled to die for at least another 60 years."

"You mean to tell me you gave me some poor man's body and it wasn't even his time yet!"

"You needed a body Jack," she said closing the book with a loud thud. "It was either Jonathan Calvert or the triple chinned butcher at the meat market that suffered a heart attack not far from here. I did you a favor."

Jack looked at her, his mouth open in disbelief. "Is this a joke to you? Why didn't you tell me you weren't putting me back in my own body?"

"Why do you think?"

Jack thought a moment and then he figured it out "Because if you had, I probably would have changed my mind."

"Bingo."

"But that wasn't fair Morana! You weren't honest with me; you withheld information so the scales would tip in your favor. You offered me a choice without giving me all the details."

She clasped her hands in a pleading gesture "Oh Jack, come on, is it so wrong that I just really wanted you two to be together?"

"No, but I didn't expect you to kill someone just so I could live again."

"Calm down, he barely felt a thing."

"Oh yeah?" He asked with his fists to his hips, "Then how did he die?"

She scrunched her nose suggesting it were an insignificant matter. "He was hit by a car."

"And you expect me to believe that he didn't feel a thing?"

"You know, I do wish you would show just a little gratitude. If you're just going to complain it's not too late for me to slap you into the butcher's body." She raised both eyebrows with a meaningful look, "I'm sure Rose would love that."

Jack swallowed; he felt his body tense at her threat. A part of him wanted to strangle her but he told himself to keep in mind who he was talking to. This was not just some ordinary woman, she had the power; he was at her mercy. In the end Jack just sulked up against the wet brick wall of the alley. He took a deep breath allowing his anger to cool with it. "I'm sorry, you're right. I am grateful. It's just… it just makes things more difficult now."

"Good, I'm glad you understand." She turned to take her leave, her long blonde hair and dress twirling behind her."

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Well if you don't mind, I've got a suicide, a gunshot victim, and two elderlies within the next two hours; you aren't my only client you know. My job isn't put on hold just because you call me. Every second of every day someone is knocking at my door."

"But how am I supposed to spend time with Rose if she doesn't even know who I am?"

"That's for you to figure out, but remember you only have a month so I suggest you get to it."

"But that could take days, maybe even weeks. I don't have time to play 'guess who' for the entire month. After what happened tonight I doubt she'll let me anywhere near her."

Jack put his head in his hands and let out hopeless grunt. Morana looked down at him and her face softened a little.

She walked over to where he was and sat down beside him. She hooked an arm through his and leaned her head against his shoulder. Jack didn't pull away. He found her closeness comforting. It felt genuine, like the comfort of a friend. He was thankful for it because whether he liked it or not Morana was his only friend right now. Looking down at her Jack had thought that if he had ever met her during the time he was alive, he never would've guessed that this beautiful woman right next to him was the caretaker of human souls.

"Listen to me Jack; you have to help her see. Help her to look beyond the physical."

She stroked Jack's forearm with her thumb and looked up at him with those attractive blue eyes. "People tend to rely solely on their eyes to see when some things just can't be seen with your eyes."

"I'm not following you."

"Love is a powerful thing Jack; its power surpasses even me. My powers can't destroy it; only delay it for a little while. True love between two individuals is a connection that goes deeper than what is seen on the outside, it's a connection of the soul. When that connection is made the two souls become in sync with one another. They respond to each other. Remember what you told me? When I asked you how you knew that Rose missed you?"

"I said that I could feel her."

Morana nodded, "That's it. You and Rose have a special bond that cannot be seen with the human eye, it is seen with this." She said pressing a hand to his chest.

"My point is, if you want Rose to see you for who you are, help her to see with her heart, not with her eyes."

Jack smiled a little "You know, for someone who deals in the realm of death, you seem to know a lot about human emotions."

He felt her chuckle against him. "I've been around a very, very, long time Jack. Part of conducting a good business is understanding your clients. And yet still there are some things about the human condition I myself don't understand. Sometimes you people can be quite the enigma."

A moment of silence passed between them. "I'm sorry I couldn't put you back into your own body Jack, truly I am. But I know you; you will find a way to make it work." She patted his arm and rose to her feet.

"So how do I get Rose to see with her heart?"

"Like I said Jack that's for you to figure out, and you will, you're a smart young man. Now I have to go. Remember, I'll be back to take you at midnight at the end of the month. Keep in mind that you cannot stay here forever. Try not to get too attached to this world. Letting go is always the hardest part."

"Morana, are there anymore conditions to our arrangement that I need to know about?"

A sly smile spread across her face. "No that's the only one and don't worry the grogginess you feel in your legs will wear off in a couple days, you may also find it a little difficult to eat. Just minor side effects. Your soul is still trying to adapt to its new environment."

He scratched the back of his head and mumbled. "I was wondering about that."

"And just one more thing, remember that everyone around you is going to see you as Jonathan Calvert. So don't be surprised if you happen to run into anyone that he may have come in contact with. My advice to you would be to just go along with it."

Jack nodded his understanding "So does this Calvert guy have a place to stay?"

"Yes, I believe he lives in an apartment about eight blocks south from here. 1536 Richmond boulevard apartment eight. Anymore questions?"

"No, I think that's it." She turned back but then Jack called after her again.

"Morana…thank you."

She gave him a tight lipped smile and a slight nod of her head. When she finally turned to walk away her figure slowly began to fade until there was nothing left and Jack was once again left alone.

He tilted his head back up against the wall. Morana was right; he had no time to lose. _See with her heart _he thought to himself.

He came to his feet on wobbled legs and jammed his hands into his pants pockets. He felt the jangle of keys which he could only assume were the keys to Jonathan's apartment. Taking them out of his pocket he shuffled them a bit in his hand before tossing them up and catching them again. This wasn't going to be easy; but if there's one thing that Jack knew, it was that when it came to the game of life you can either choose to play with the hand your dealt or you can fold. Death had dealt the cards and Jack had played his hand now Rose had to make the next move.

Last night she dreamt of the man from the theater. Before settling down for bed, Rose had taken out an old wooden chest about the size of a shoe box that was placed at the bottom of her traveling trunk. Inside of it she pulled out the rare blue diamond that was her gift from her ex fiancée. She plopped down on the bed and fingered its heart shape. At one point Rose had considered selling the thing, but every time she did she thought of Cal and in the end she had made up her mind that she would make it without his help. It was tempting at times, especially with the fear of starvation, but somehow she managed to survive. The diamond held other memories as well, it held memories of her and Jack; and those memories made the diamond worth keeping. It was her only connection to him; it was the only proof she had that Jack had been real. Losing him had been hard. When she watched him sink to the bottom of the ocean she had felt a part of herself go with him. Rose had thought she was alone when it was just Cal and her mother but she hadn't known true loneliness until Jack was taken from her. She cried for months from the pure anguish she felt. Rage took over her. She was angry at herself, she was angry at him. They had a responsibility to eachother and she had not held up her end. She didn't think she would ever get back on her feet. But after the months she spent grieving Rose decided that it was time to move on with her life. She imagined _The Heart of the Ocean_ as a representation of her own heart, representing a tragic yet loving moment in her life. That was why she bought the wooden lock box. The day she bought it she had placed the diamond inside along with Jack and all the ties to her old life. It was a piece of herself that she locked away from the world and no one could get to it. She would not share Jack; she would not talk of Jack. He was hers.

Now for the first time in nine years Rose had found herself pulling it out again. Old feelings began to surface and it started when that strange man had come into her dressing room. He seemed crazed, a mad man. Her anger boiled at the thought of that lunatic tainting her beloved's name, spewing it from his lips claiming it to be his own "It's me it's Jack" he had said. She felt her heart ache just a little at the sound of the desperation in his voice. He had been reaching out for her as if nothing else in the world mattered. A small part of her wanted to believe, but it seemed a cruel joke. She had at last come to terms with Jack's death and now she felt as if she were being mocked by the world. Rose decided that she wouldn't fall for it. Jack was dead and there was nothing she could do to change that fact. She gave up wishing for things to have worked out differently a long time ago. Wishing would not bring him back to her.

Still, Rose couldn't help but wonder if the man was alright. She didn't know why she cared; the man was probably drunk and deranged and he had no right to barge into her room like that. Rose only hoped that that would be the last time she saw him.

After putting the diamond away she lied awake in bed for the longest time before finally extinguishing the light from her lamp and turning to her side clutching her sheets to her breast. She would forget about the man from the theater.

The next morning Rose went about her normal routine. She bathed, brushed her hair, put on a simple blue dress cut square at the neck, and threw on a knitted shawl with different flower patterns designed into the fabric. She picked up her tan tote bag and headed out the door.

Being an actress at the Playhouse didn't pay all the bills. By day she worked as a seamstress and every day when she took that she took that walk to work she thought of her mother. If Ruth could see her now she would probably be ashamed. She visualized her mother shaking her head and placing a dramatic hand over her chest in disgust. That made Rose laugh. Rose Dewitt Bukater, pampered, spoiled, princess of the Bukater household reduced to a common seamstress.

She didn't mind the job so much; in fact she rather enjoyed it. She liked being able to use her hands to create things and weave fine clothing and fabrics. On top of that it kept her busy. Rose didn't like staying at home with nothing to do and she found that it took her mind off things.

At last Rose walked out the door to her apartment building, making sure to lock the door behind her. When she turned around she jumped back. There at the bottom of the stairs leaning up against the black railing was the man from the theater. He stood there arms folded and a crooked smile on his lips.

"Hi there." He said in a cheerful tone.

"You!" what are you doing here?"

"I had to see you."

"How did you know where I lived?"

"Lucky guess."

"You followed me home didn't you?"

"Not….exactly, listen I need to talk to you."

"Well you wasted your time; I don't want to talk to you. So do yourself a favor and stay away from me." Rose practically stomped down the steps and pushed him off to the side but Jack followed close behind her.

"Rose would it really hurt to just talk to me for a couple of minutes, at least let me walk with you." She stopped mid stride and looked at him. He looked different from the last time she saw him, he no longer wore a black suit. Today he wore a light blue buttoned up cotton shirt. His sleeves were rolled up all the way to his elbows and his pants were simple brown corduroys. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a muscular physique that had all the right proportions. His eyes were brown and his hair was brown with streaks of blonde here and there. The style of it was so familiar to her. It flopped down in front of his eyes and for some reason Rose found it painful to look at so she forced herself to look away and went back to her walk.

"So," Jack said, "Where are you off to?"

"I'm going to work." She said bitterly.

"Oh, that's good. What do you do?"

"I'm a seamstress."

"A seamstress? But I thought you were an actress?"

"Didn't you want to talk to me about something?" she snapped.

"Right. Now Rose I know you might find this hard to believe but just let me get this out. "I am Jack Dawson."

"Is that so." She said, clearly not believing him.

"No really, I am Jack Dawson."

Rose couldn't bring herself to look at him; every time she did she felt her chest tighten. "Could you please stop saying that name?"

"But it's true. We met on the Titanic, your fiancée's name was Caledon and your mother's name is Ruth." Jack ran his hands back through his hair trying to think. "You tried to kill yourself by jumping off the back of the ship and I saved you." That made Rose stop and she looked at him with wide eyes.

He turned her to look at him with both hands gripping her shoulders and this time Rose couldn't look away. "Look at me Rose, really look at me."

His grip on her hurt a little, he must've realized this because his hands moved up to gently cup both sides of her face instead. His brown eyes locked on hers. "Who do you see?"

She swallowed. Those eyes bore into hers and the touch of his hands on her face were beginning to tear down all the emotional barriers that she had put up around her heart. No one had ever touched her like this, not since—no, it couldn't be. Something inside her was responding to him, something she couldn't ignore. Her heart beat wildly inside her chest and there was this insatiable urge, an urge to kiss him. But this was a stranger, she did not know this man and yet maybe she did. It was confusing, she felt her eyes water as she did battle with her emotions. She desperately wanted him to let go of her, desperately she didn't.

"Who do you see?" he asked again.

His voice was not at all forceful; it was gentle and patient in waiting for her answer. She felt his thumb brush away a tear that managed to escape. She could feel the eyes of onlookers as they walked past them.

"Rose?"

She looked back up into his eyes and pulled his hands away from her face "You are obviously a deranged man who has no idea who he is and preys on the hearts of young women in the cruelest of ways."

Rose turned away from him and her pace quickened. "Rose wait!" Jack grabbed hold of her hand but she snatched it away.

"Stay away from me!" she yelled, her voice cracking.

"Rose, please." But she was already gone. Her fiery red hair trailed behind her like an angry pennant.

She didn't feel him following behind her but that didn't stop her from walking fast. What was happening to her? She angrily wiped away her tears, she wanted to hit something. When Rose finally turned the corner of the next street she leaned up against the brick wall of a nearby building and collapsed in tears.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Every day the cycle was the same. She would wake up, get dressed, and right before she left for work she would look out the window and see the man from the theater outside patiently waiting at her door. Every day he would walk with her to work. He didn't always preach that same lie that he was Jack Dawson, sometimes he would just make conversation, and Rose hardly said anything. She answered questions when asked but she never added to the discussion. She had hoped it would be enough for him to get the hint to leave her alone. It didn't work, she could tell he was getting irritated with her but that never stopped him.

If he wasn't waiting outside her home, he would wait outside her job. He would leave to get a snack once or twice but he always came back. Rose was confronted by her boss about the issue of the man loitering outside of the shop. When she told the man about it, he apologized and Rose had thought she had been rid of him then. She knew she was only fooling herself because as soon as she left for the evening, there he was coming around the corner ready to walk her home. He was persistent she would give him that.

The nights she went to the Playhouse she informed Henry of the man who had barged into her room. Without having to ask, Henry knew what she wanted. He ordered double the amount of security officers posted at the front entrance. Even the side entrance that Jack had used the first time had been blocked. He wasn't even allowed to sit on the premises, so Jack patiently waited across the street seated on an old wooden bench beneath the yellow glow of the tall street light.

When she left the Playhouse she glanced across the street and saw him sitting there with that cocky smile on his face waving at her. If Rose hadn't known the man she probably would've been frightened; but seeing him there with that smile on his face only infuriated her. She could not get rid of this man. No matter what insult she threw at him, no matter what she did, he just kept coming back. He was a walking skin irritation.

Today was Saturday, she was free from work, and didn't have to leave her apartment until later on tonight. She awoke that morning in her long white night gown and her mane of red hair was a tangled mess. Pulling back the curtains to allow some natural light into the room, she wasn't the least bit surprised to see him sitting there. As if sensing her eyes on him he looked up and greeted her scowl with that stupid smile of his. She yanked the curtains closed. _Damn him _she thought _does he not have a home to go to? He must if he finds the time to change his clothes._

To be rid of the eyesore that sat outside her window Rose decided she would have her breakfast with the Mitchells. Nancy and Charlie were an exciting couple that always seemed to be in a happy mood. Both of them were about in their early to middle thirties and have been married for eight years. They didn't have many visitors mostly because they were considered somewhat eccentric. When Rose had first moved in the couple had been eager to have a new neighbor, so eager in fact, that after a day of unpacking and getting settled in Rose answered a knock at the door and found the two of them standing there with two big smiles on their faces and a big chocolate cake with the words 'Welcome' drawn in white icing in the shape of a semicircle. The three of them were friends ever since.

Later on that morning Rose sat at the round kitchen table sipping tea with Nancy. Nancy was a small and slender woman with dark brown hair that rested on the tops of her shoulders and big expressive green eyes. Her small stature reminded Rose of a little pixie, all she needed was a set of wings. Her husband Charlie was completely opposite. He stood tall and strong, and he had big broad shoulders and bulging muscles that were evident through his buttoned brown shirt. His forearms were hairy right down to the knuckles. He had gray eyes, a black mutton chop for a beard, and neatly combed black hair. Charlie looked intimidating and was a big bear of a man but he had a gentle and loving nature, especially when it came to his little wife. The two of them looked odd standing next to each other. Nancy just barely made it to his chest and looked so small and frail, as if she would break from the slightest touch. Rose saw the way they looked at each other and she didn't have to be psychic to see the love they shared. She imagined that if Nancy asked him to, Charlie would fetch the sun and bring it down to her without hesitation. Sometimes she was envious of them and her thoughts would drift to Jack and the life they could've had together.

Charlie stood over at the kitchen countertop drinking his coffee and was reading a copy of today's paper.

"It was insane." Nancy laughed "Charlie burnt the roast for our fifth anniversary dinner; our entire apartment was filled with the smoke. I of course suggested that we go out to eat but he insisted." She knelt down to whisper in Rose's ear, "he can be a bit frugal sometimes when it comes to going out to restaurants."

Charlie cleared his throat but didn't look up from his paper. "I just don't see the point in spending the extra money. What's wrong with wanting to cook for my wife, not only is it a loving gesture but its also cheaper. So what if I'm not the best cook it's the thought that counts."

Both women giggled. "I know honey and I love you for it." Charlie gave her a look of mock anger but a smile cracked through his lips.

"Rose are you alright. You hardly touched your tea?" Rose took a small sip and ran her finger in a circular motion around the rim.

"I've just had a lot on my mind lately."

"It's that man that's been walking with you to work for the past week isn't it?"

"I should say he's a big part of it."

"You mean Jonathan?" Charlie asked cutting in.

"Who?" Rose asked

Charlie drank two more gulps of coffee. "Jonathan Calvert. He works down at the steel mill with me. He's one of our welders—or was at least. He was let go recently for not showing up for work although I don't think he knows it yet."

"Wait a minute you mean to say that that man's name is Jonathan Calvert?"

"That's right. But we all call him John. He's a nice fella, a real people person, got along with everyone, and never missed a day at work. It's strange the last time I saw him just so happened to be a few hours before your play Rose. Me and the rest of the boys were clocking out for the night, John said his goodbyes and told us all he'd see us in the morning. Haven't seen him since."

"Rose what's wrong?" Nancy asked.

"What happened to him?"

"That's what's even stranger. I was reading the paper the next day and apparently Jonathan was hit by a car that night."

Rose and Nancy looked at him in shock "My god." said Nancy. "What?" asked Rose.

"'Fraid so. But it wasn't the fact that he was hit by the car that was strange, it was the manner in which he was hit. A lot of the spectators believed that he should've died after that. The car came seemingly out of nowhere. People have said that he looked to have suffered from a fractured skull, the left side of his face was badly bloodied and bruised, and his arm had been torn completely out of its socket it was a pretty gory sight."

"But that's impossible you saw him yourself. He looks fine."

"I know, that's the point, a few minutes before the medics arrived, John was up again and there wasn't a scratch on him. He took off as if nothing had happened."

"That is strange." said Nancy

"I think I still have the paper around here somewhere, I'll be right back."

Nancy took a hold of her friend's hand. "Rose are you okay? Your hands are shaking."

"What? Oh yes, I'm fine."

"You know you're always welcome to stay here if you need to."

"No I'm okay, besides you and Charlie are married and I don't want to intrude."

"Well, Rose if you ask me if Jonathan is giving you some trouble then maybe you should notify the authorities, come to think of it why haven't you?"

"Believe me I've thought about doing so but…."

"But what?"

Rose pulled some of her hair back behind her ear. "There is something about him…something I can't describe. He says he knows me and that I know him."

"Rose you're an actress, chances are some people are bound to know you. Do you know him?"

"Of course not. I've never seen him before. But he insists that I do and he doesn't call himself Jonathan he says his name is…"

"What?"

Rose didn't want to say his name. Jack was a private part of her life and yet the Mitchells have been so kind to her she almost felt bad for not telling them the truth about herself. Upon their first meeting when asked about her past Rose gave them the vague answer that she ran away from home when she was 17 and since then she never looked back. She was thankful that neither of them asked anymore questions after that. Nancy had been such a good friend and was an open book about her life while Rose remained closed up, weaving around certain truths. She supposed she could speak his name, she could share that much. Nancy did not need to know the significance of it. Maybe one day she would tell her the truth but not now.

"He says his name is Jack Dawson."

"Jack Dawson?"

Rose nodded. "He was hit by a car Rose the man is deranged, he must have suffered from some head trauma and forgotten who he really was."

Rose had already thought about that, but it still didn't explain how he knew that name. She had read about incidents such as those before and the man certainly didn't act like a victim of such a traumatic experience. He seemed coherent and honest in his conviction that he was in fact Jack Dawson. He truly believed that that was who he was. If he suffered head trauma how is it that out of all the names he had given himself he landed on that one. There were only two logical explanations, either this man really was crazy, suffered from memory loss, and by mere coincidence knew of the name Jack Dawson, or plain and simple, he was telling the truth. But could that really be possible, her long dead lover at last returned to her. Rose was afraid to open herself up to that possibility. What if she was wrong? Her heart would not be able to endure such pain.

"Here it is; I found it!" Charles called from the other room. His hard soled boots thumped against the wooden floor as he walked back into the kitchen and placed the paper before Rose. He stood back placing a hand on his wife's shoulder while taking another sip of coffee.

Rose set down her tea and looked down at the paper and there he was on the front cover

**Local Town Man Hit by Passing Vehicle, Raised from the Dead**

Although it cannot be properly explained, spectators claim it to be true. A local town man who has been identified as Jonathan Calvert, a steel worker of the Hercules Steel Company was hit by an oncoming car late Monday night. A horrific sight indeed, those who have seen the incident have reported that it had been a head on collision that forced Calvert into a backwards somersault landing on his neck causing it to break, along with a fractured skull, and a dislocated arm. Medics were called immediately to the site but many shocked onlookers feared it was much too late and Calvert was presumed dead. A few moments before they arrived Calvert shocked everyone when he leapt to his feet completely unharmed and took off running, leaving behind a ticket for a play at the Hillman Theater, most popularly known as the Actor's Playhouse.

Rose couldn't stop looking at the paper. What in the world was going on?

"Rose, if John is truly giving you any trouble," Charlie said as Rose continued to read silently, "I could give him a good talking to for you. I will vouch for him though that I don't think he means you any harm. He is a good man even if his mind might be a little scrambled right now."

Rose didn't know what to believe. One minute he was Jack Dawson, the next minute she finds out that his name was actually Jonathan Calvert, victim of a car accident and possible head trauma. According to the paper he was no doubt on his way to see her play when the accident happened. Maybe he was truly an insane madman who was stalking her and Charlie didn't know him as well as he thought. She didn't want to believe that. When she looked into that man's eyes she felt something there. She felt her own heart reaching out to him and an overwhelming need building inside of her. It was all too much to take in.

All of these thoughts were giving her a headache.

"Thank you both for the tea, I'm going to go back to my room and lay down; my head is throbbing."

* * *

Jack had returned to his own apartment after a while of waiting outside of Rose's home. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. A week had already passed and he hadn't made much progress with Rose. He was tired and irritated. This whole trip felt as if it were for nothing and he couldn't help but feel bad for taking this man's body. Jack had spent a lot of time in Jonathan's home just trying to get a feel for who the guy was and everything he was about. It still felt strange to look into the mirror and not see his own reflection looking back at him. He felt a little foolish to admit that he was somewhat jealous of Jonathan; the guy was well built from years of work. Jack assumed that when Jonathan was alive he probably didn't have any problems with the women. There was a black and white photograph seated beside his bed. It was a picture of Jonathan with his arms around a much older man and woman, whom Jack could only assume were his parents. In front of Jonathan was a small girl with her arms wrapped around his waist smiling at the camera with a few missing teeth, his sister maybe?

Jack started rummaging through some of Jonathan's things and found letters from home. Some of them were letters asking how he was doing and if he was well, asking why he hardly ever writes, and when he plans to bring home grandchildren. This man had a family, a good life, and people that loved him. Jack felt as though he had robbed him of that. He had no one, save for Rose, and she didn't even know who he was. That was when he made his decision. Jack decided he would call the whole deal off. Later tonight after Rose's play he would try once more to help her see the truth and if she denied him again he would call for Morana to take him. He would leave her alone and never bother her again as she wished. He would also ask Morana to return Jonathan back to his body.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jack practically leapt to his feet when he realized what time it was. He cursed himself for oversleeping. He had decided to settle down for a nap until Rose left for the Playhouse this evening. Rose usually left an hour and a half before the show and Jack would always catch her when she did so he could walk with her. Judging by the clock Rose was probably on her way out the door. _Shit_ he thought over and over again in his head, _Shit, shit, shit!_

Jack fumbled to put his shoes on, making the mistake of putting his left shoe on his right foot and mismatching the buttons on his shirt. He growled and undid them again aligning the buttons with their matching hole to make sure they were even, it seemed a slow process and it angered him that he couldn't button the buttons any faster.

A bright flash lit the room and loud crack of thunder followed. Jack's head came up in a jerk as he was fixing his shoes. Through his window he saw fat heavy rain drops leaving wet trails down the glass pane. Jack cursed again. He thought of Rose being out there in the rain and it was nearly nightfall. It wasn't safe for her to be out there walking by herself. Panic rose in his chest. His imagination ran wild with fear of all the things that could happen to her. If he hurried he could still catch her. Jack snatched up the jacket that rested up against a nearby chair and walked out the door punching a fist through one of the sleeves.

He ran as fast as he could through the heavy rain. He ran around corners and made the mistake of bumping into several people, saying sorry along the way but never stopping. Cars drove through puddles in the street and one of them splashed on him. Had Jack not been in a hurry he would have stopped to flip off the driver and say a few choice words but Rose was more important. He clutched the stitch that was burning at his side and his breath came out sharp and ragged but still he ran. Finally he came to Rose's street. In a last burst of energy Jack sprinted up the small porch steps and banged on the door. After several hard knocks, the knob finally turned and out stepped a big bear of a man in a white undershirt and his suspenders dangled off the sides of his pants. Jack didn't think he had ever seen a man so big before, he filled the entire doorframe.

"Hey John! Its good to see you, back for another visit?"

Jack didn't hear the man's greeting instead he said, "Sorry to disturb you my name is Jack Dawson and I was wondering if…"

"Jack Dawson? Is that the new name you've given yourself John? That car must've hit you pretty hard."

"Car?" Jack's eyes suddenly lit up with the memory of what Morana told him, _everyone will see you as Jonathan Calvert._

"Uh who are you? Have we met before?"

"John it's me, Charlie. We both worked at the Hercules steel mill together. We shared a couple beers?"

"I'm sorry I don't remember."

"Ehhhh it's alright John. Must be hard not being able to remember who you are. Would you like to come in you look like someone just pushed you in the river." Jack was getting anxious and didn't really feel like talking with this man.

" No I'm alright… um Charlie? Right?"

Charlie nodded. "That's me!"

"Listen I'm kind of in a hurry I need to know, is Ms. Dawson in, did she leave, where is she?"

"No, she left about three hours ago."

"Three hours ago?"

"That's right." Charlie said leaning up against the door frame.

"Why did she leave so early?"

Charlie gestured up with his eyes "Well with the clouds building up and the dampness in the air I reckon she was trying to beat the rain."

_Or avoid me _Jack thought. Very clever, Rose knew he would more than likely be there to walk with her as he usually was so she left early to slim her chances of bumping into him. Jack ran back down the steps and turned back to face Charlie.

"Thank you uh….uh….."

"Charlie!" he called out from the door.

"Yes, Charlie. Thanks. Maybe we'll go and have those beers some time."

"Im holding you to it!" Charlie bellowed and a wide smile spread across his face before he closed the door.

From around the corner of the alleyway, Jack saw her leave. He watched her as she said her goodbyes to several people. Most of them were wishing her well and congratulating her on her performance. A little girl that came just above her knee gently tugged at her dress, pen and paper in hand. Rose hugged the girl asking if she enjoyed the show and the girl nodded eagerly as Rose signed her little paper. She waved off to a few more people before opening her umbrella and strolling off and that's when Jack made his move.

He crept up behind her gently placing a hand on her shoulder and Rose jumped. Her head snapped in his direction.

"You?"

"Yes I know, it's nice to see you too. You left before we had the chance to enjoy our walk together."

"I thought I was rid of you. You are terribly annoying and becoming quite the thorn in my side."

"And it wouldn't be so bad if you would just accept what I've trying to tell you for the past week."

She stopped mid stride and turned to face him. Her long red hair whipped right along with her.

"Who is Jonathan Calvert?"

Jack was taken aback by the abruptness of her question. "What?"

"Jonathan Calvert? That is who you are isn't it? You work at the Hercules steel mill with my neighbor's husband."

"Well….yes….no….I mean….not exactly….it's too complicated to explain Rose."

"What is there to explain? That is who you are is it not?"

Jack was feeling flustered trying to find the right words, "Ok physically, yes, I am Jonathan Calvert, but that isn't who I am. I'm borrowing this body. Morana gave me a second chance in life, a chance to be with you because she sympathized with us."

If Rose didn't believe him before she truly didn't believe him now. She looked at him as if he just sprouted another head.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know it sounds crazy but it's the truth."

"So a woman named, Morana, brought you back from the dead?"

"That's right, she's death."

"Death?"

Jack nodded. Rose's face switched to being unreadable, "So, why didn't she put you back into your own body then?"

"Because….my body was too decayed."

"How convenient. At first I felt almost sympathetic knowing what happened to you but now it's quite obvious that you really are completely insane. Goodbye sir."

"Rose!"

"Leave me alone! If you come anywhere near me ever again I swear I will call the police."

Rose stormed off, wind and rain whipping behind her. Jack stood there running both hands through his wet hair. That was it. It was completely pointless. She just wouldn't believe him and he already wasted too much time as it is. His head hurt something fierce; he thought he might be getting sick. His clothes were soaked. Letting out a deep breath Jack decided. It was time to call Morana and call the whole thing off.

Suddenly, no sooner the thought entered his head, he saw Rose turn the corner and as she did he saw a gang of four men following just a few feet behind her. At least three of them looked to be about his height and possibly the same build. Jack felt a swell of rage filling his heart and right away he knew these men weren't planning on asking for an autograph. Rose may not have wanted him around but that wasn't going to stop Jack from protecting the woman he loved.

Rose began to speed up her pace, but still tried to remain calm. She was aware of the four thugs that were following behind her. She glanced over her shoulder a bit and out of her peripheral vision she saw the one in front take off into a run, no doubt he was the leader of the group. As he started to run, the others followed suit and then the chase was on. Rose immediately dropped her umbrella and broke into a fast run. The rain poured down making her long hair drenched and heavy. The heavy globs of rain were starting to block her vision, she squinted her eyes trying to make out familiar street signs to guide her way home. Her feet hurt from the effort of running in her heels. Her body was growing tired, she wanted to collapse to the ground and rest but fear drove her on. In her mind she found herself crying out for someone to save her. She thought of Nancy, Charlie, Henry, Jack, and then for reasons she couldn't understand she thought of the man from the theater. Tears of desperation stung her eyes and came pouring down her cheeks as her panic was rising. And then she made a wrong turn down alleyway and she found herself staring up at an enormous brick wall. She turned around to see the men blocking her only exit and then the leader stepped forward. He was a tall, burly man with a balding head, crooked nose, and an unshaved beard.

"Well aren't you a fine set of pretty legs." He said in a gravelly voice, "I bet me and my boys would fancy the pretty flower that lies between them even more. What do you say pretty lady? Care to have a go? He made a vulgar thrust with his pelvis. "I promise I'll be real gentleman like."

The other men laughed at the leader's lewd joke. They reminded Rose of a pack of wild dogs. She glared at them, not willing to give any of them the satisfaction of her cowering in fear. She was prepared to fight, to the death if need be.

"Get her." He ordered

The other three men came rushing towards her. Two of them grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back. Rose cried out in pain as she thrashed and kicked at them. She managed to kick one of them in the jaw and elbow another in the nose. One of them returned her blow with a strong hit of their own and Rose tasted copper in her mouth. The two men that had her arms tied behind her back threw her stomach up against the brick wall pinning her there. Rose felt the hard, rocky surface of the brick against her face. She was completely helpless and couldn't move. She could feel one of the men grinding up against her back in a provocative way while she felt the rough hand of another sliding up underneath her dress. Rose was enraged by the violation and her helplessness. She struggled underneath their grip. Her face was mashed up against the wall in such a way where it was almost difficult to scream.

Between the laughs of the men she heard the sound of what she recognized as the sound of a belt buckle unfastening.

"Hold her down."

Realizing what was about to happen, Rose thrashed, trying to fight but still to no avail. Tears ran down her cheeks her screams were falling on deaf ears. This was it this was to be her fate. To be taken by these brutes and left to die alone in a filthy alleyway. She thought of Jack.

Jack heard the sound of Rose's screams and followed them to source. He found the four brutes assaulting Rose in the corner of an alleyway. By the looks of things he wasn't too late. Jack let his rage guide him. With all strength and speed Jack dove in and threw himself at the thugs tossing them to the side and landing a hard right hook into the leaders jaw. Jack turned her around to inspect her face cupping it in his hands. He whipped around to look at the thugs.

"Stay behind me." He said to Rose out the side of his mouth

The leader rose to his feet wiping the blood from his mouth. "You son of a bitch! If you want your turn on the lady you're going to have to wait, I'm going first."

"We'll if you want her you'll have to get through me." Jack didn't know what would happen if he were to die a second time but he didn't care. When it came to Rose, Jack would've gladly given his life without hesitation.

"Have it your way."

Jack stood in front of Rose fists clenched and legs spread apart. With his attention on the leader Jack hadn't noticed the oncoming threat from his left. The first thug tackled Jack right through his side knocking him to the ground. Jack cried out from the impact. The two of them grappled on the ground until Jack managed to get back on his feet. He threw a wide right swing across the man's face and Jack felt the man's teeth loosen. Another thug came from behind and Jack turned just in time to see him. He darted out of the way and the man ended up tackling the first instead. Jack traded blows with the third and Jack took a punch to his gut and another to his face. It left Jack feeling dizzy and disoriented. He fought to stay up, he saw a double vision of Rose pressed with her back against the wall. He could see the concern in her face and it looked as though she was torn between wanting to step in and help or stay out of the way. He was glad that the thugs' attention was no longer on her. He now had their full attention. At least it would be her chance to get away. The third thug hooked an arm around Jack's neck from behind. Jack clawed at the man's arm struggling for breath. With a loud battle cry Jack ran backwards knocking the thug into the wall the force of it loosened the man's grip from around his neck and Jack turned to punch him in the face. The man fell over but not before getting kneed in the chest.

Jack heard a sharp click and Rose's scream for him to look out but it was too late, the leader of the pack came hurling toward him with a switch blade knife. On the first swing Jack felt it cut right into his forehead. His hand came up at once to comfort the pain but the leader allowed him no time to recover. He came at him again aiming the blade for his middle, a side swing arch across his shoulder. Jack did his best to dodge. Finally the man lunged in a killing thrust. Jack pivoted to the side and grabbed the man's arm and elbowed him in the chest and then to his face breaking his nose. He cried out and dropped the blade. Jack dove for the weapon and looked up to see blood gushing and squirting from the leader's nose, streaks of it running into his mouth. The leader looked up with rage filled eyes and came running toward Jack with wild abandon. He dove on top of Jack and in so doing it became his end. He landed right on top of the up turned blade severing his guts and major organs. He died instantly.

Jack rolled the man off of him. The body slack and the man's right arm flopped to the side. Jack wobbled to his feet. He stood there, chest heaving from the brawl, and his hand still clenching the knife. He looked up at the other three thugs with menacing eyes. The three of them looked down at the body of their fallen leader and then to Jack. In fear the other three thugs took off running into the night.

When Jack saw that they were gone he looked down at the blood covered knife and threw it away. He felt something warm running down his forehead. He put the tips of his fingers over the wound and looked down in his hand to see blood. He turned to Rose. She was soaked right to the bone. His face softened at the sight of her.

"Are you alright?" he asked. His tone soft.

"Yes" she whispered.

"That's good." Jack was still trying to calm himself from the adrenaline pumping through his body. His anger boiled at the thought of what those men were trying to do, what they almost did, and what would've happened if he hadn't made it in time to stop them. On top of that he killed a man. Although it was accidental Jack had never killed anyone before. The thought of killing someone sickened him but in this case he realized that he relished the thought and that frightened him. It frightened him because he knew that if harm should ever come to Rose he would gladly kill again.

"And they didn't…..they didn't hurt you or anything did they?"

Understanding what Jack was referring to, Rose eased his fears "No, you got here in time."

He nodded. After a time Jack said "You're soaked, we had better get you back home before you catch a cold. I'll walk you back and then I promise I'll never bother you again. I just want to make sure you're safe. Will you allow me that much?"

Whether she agreed to it or not Jack wasn't going to let her walk home alone. Rose walked up to him and Jack looked down into her eyes and he could see the concern cutting into her features.

"You're bleeding."

"It doesn't matter." Jack said dismissively. And it really didn't matter, he'll be out of this body soon enough.

Then Rose reached out and took hold of his hand. "Let's go."

Jack was surprised to see her do this. This was the first time she had ever initiated any sort of contact with him. As simple as it was Jack was glad for it and it brought a small smile to his lips.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Rose turned the key to the door of her apartment. "Come on." she urged. Jack walked inside, his hand covering the cut on his forehead.

"Sit down" she instructed gesturing over to her bed.

"I can see you're still pretty aggressive" Jack said with a laugh, but stopped when he saw that Rose wasn't. Either she didn't find his little quip funny or she was much too focused on treating his wound.

She went beside the bed to her nightstand and turned on the lamp. In an instant the room was lit under a dim yellowish orange glow giving the room an intimate look. Outside the rain pattered heavily against the window and the low rumble of thunder could be heard off in the distance. Jack watched as Rose strode purposefully to the small bathroom. He heard the sound of running water and when she returned she was holding a damp red cloth. Rose stood in front of him and pried his hand from the cut and gently applied pressure with the cloth.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Jack asked wanting to fill the awkward silence.

Rose looked down into his eyes. Her face was unreadable. She pushed on the towel a little indicating that she wanted him to hold it then stood back, arms folded looking at him the way an officer eyed a suspect for questioning.

"Who are you?...really?"

Jack took a deep breath deciding to try once more, "I'm Jack Dawson…. and your name is Rose Dewitt Bukater –or at least it was—you were engaged to Caledon Hockley, your mother's name is Ruth. The night we met you were trying to kill yourself."

Her eyes turned to the side and she sucked in her lips in annoyance holding up a hand to stop him she said, "Do you think I'm an idiot? Why are you doing this to me?"

Now it was Jack's turn to be annoyed. The woman was just so damn stubborn. "Look Rose, I'm really getting tired of this, this month would go a lot easier for me if you would just accept the fact that I am Jack so we can move on."

She gave him an incredulous look. "What do you mean 'this month'?"

He shook his head "Nothing, just please Rose, I'm asking you- no- begging you, I really need you to just listen and not doubt me alright?"

"Thank you for saving me. Now I want you to leave and I don't want to see you again, for the last time leave me alone. If you don't I will notify the authorities."

"Oh don't give me that horseshit," Jack growled, "I know you Rose, if you really wanted me to leave you alone you would've called them already, what's it been a week? Obviously a part of you must enjoy my company."

Rose's face turned red with anger "You arrogant bastard, you really must be deranged if you think that you hold any value to me at all."

That was the last straw Jack jumped to his feet and threw down the red rag and in two strides he was standing in front of her. His anger mirrored hers as they both glared in each other's eyes neither backing down.

"God damn it Rose, what is your problem?"

"You are my problem!" she yelled her tone matching his, "my life was just fine until you barged into it!"

"Why do you keep running away from me Rose, just tell me that? I know deep down there is a part of you that knows that what I'm saying is true. I know it because you can't stand to look at me! Why do you ignore it? Don't turn away from me, look at me; I want you to look at me!"

"Let go of my face, don't touch me I don't want you touching me!"

"Why? Because my touch is familiar to you, you recognize it don't you. The feel of my hands on your face is like lightning coursing through your body isn't it? Isn't it? I know because that's how I feel when I touch you, when you touch me! Stop running from me Rose and embrace what's right in front of you! You know who I am I know you do!"

"Let go of me!" angry tears coursed down her face as she pounded her fists at his chest

"No I'm not letting go not until you listen! I haven't even scratched the surface. I saved you that night from making a big mistake, you wanted to end your life but I convinced you not to do it, and when the master at arms tried to arrest me you lied and said you were trying to look at the propellers. Right?"

"Stop it!"

"No! Tell me, how would I know that Rose? How would I know that?"

"The morning after the party in 3rd class I snuck above decks to see you. I pulled you aside to tell you how I felt about you and you denied your feelings then because you were afraid, just like you are now. I know you Rose. Why are you so afraid of me? What is it about me that scares you? Talk to me!"

"Please stop! Stop doing this to me! Get away from me!" With all her strength she pushed him away from her but Jack came hurling back.

"I'm not going anywhere and you don't want me to leave. That's your problem, you're a stubborn, spoiled brat, and damn it I admit that it can get a little grating at times, but I still love you for it just the same." Then, without thinking, without caring about the consequence, Jack grabbed Rose's face and kissed her, hard and desperate. The kiss was almost savage as their teeth grated together and their tongues locked in a vicious tangle. For so long Jack had yearned to taste her lips once more and now he was. He had forgotten the effect it had on him, it made his knees weak and it left his body aching for hers. How he longed for that closeness. By the way she was kissing him back and the soft moan that escaped from her lips he knew she could feel that same heat but he also sensed her reluctance. He tasted the salty wetness of her tears running into his mouth. As if snapping out of a spell Rose shoved him away and landed a hard slap across his face.

Jack stepped back, his chest heaving and his hand covering the spot where she hit him. Both of them stood opposite each other trying to catch their breath. Rose leaned up against the wall and Jack collapsed onto the bed and hunched over with his head in his hands. It was hopeless, a week had already gone by and Rose just wouldn't believe him. This trip really was for nothing.

"The first time I saw you," he whispered, "you were standing up on the first class deck."

His hands dropped down into the gap between his legs and he leaned on his elbows for support. He looked up at her with tearful eyes.

"I thought you were the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, you were like a princess looking out from the tallest tower and I was just a common man who could only dream of ever getting close to you. It reminded me of the stories my mother liked to read me when I was a boy, princesses of unmatched beauty and long flowing hair that was strong enough to climb."

"It was that moment," he said laughing through his tears, "where I knew I was a goner."

"I remember thinking 'I would give anything to draw her, something that beautiful needs to be preserved on paper' and even then it just wouldn't be enough to portray how beautiful you are."

Jack continued to talk and as he did Rose slowly started to approach him.

"That night when you tried to kill yourself you wore a black and red beaded dress and your hair was down. With the wind ripping through it and the light on your face it looked as if it were on fire."

"Since that night I was happy for every moment I spent with you, this beautiful first class princess spending time with the likes of me, a tumbleweed. I would not have traded those three days for anything in the world."

Rose knelt down in front of him with tears streaming down her face and she gingerly took hold of his hand.

"I think the happiest moment of my life was when you came back to me after you told me to leave you alone and that was when I gave you your first flying lesson. You leaned back against me, arms spread and I sang in your ear, _Come Josephine in my flying machine…._

And then she joined in, her voice choked with tears, "_and it's up she goes, up she goes_…"

Rose cupped both hands to his face and made him look at her. She stroked his cheek and pushed the fallen strands of hair away from his face. She looked into his eyes for a long time, her eyes penetrated into his soul, searching for an answer. Jack didn't move allowing her to conduct her inspection. Finally she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his lips and he kissed her back, no longer urgent they took their time. It felt more experimental than an act of longing. Jack had caught her off guard the first time not really giving her the chance to process what was happening. This time something registered, Jack knew because she drew him closer to deepen the kiss. When at last they pulled away Rose sat back on her knees with her hand over her mouth.

"Jack?" she whispered, "Is it really you?"

"I had to see you again Rose, I know I don't look like myself but it was the only way." The confirmation of her long dead beloved at last returned to her made her weep all the more. She let out gasping sobs and before Jack could say anything else Rose came above him, hooked an arm around his neck, and pulled him close, hugging his head tightly to her breast and her cheek resting atop his head. Jack wrapped his strong arms around her back and the two of them just held each other releasing all of their tears and emotions.

"Took you long enough." Jack joked and despite their tears they both laughed but neither let go of other.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The early signs of dawn crept into the room blanketing it in a calm light bluish tint. Rose lied awake in bed pondering over her lover as he slept. He looked so peaceful. Last night after they had exhausted their tears Rose had finished treating the cut on his forehead. She had only just realized that Jack was shivering from his rain soaked clothes and she worried he might get sick.

She helped Jack remove his clothes and told him to climb into bed and Jack did so without complaint. By the look in his eyes she could tell that he was exhausted, she imagined partly from fighting those men and from running in the rain most of the night trying to get to her.

Rose changed into her flannel white night gown and used a large towel to dry her hair, brushing it as she did. By the time she emerged from the bathroom, Jack was fast asleep. Rose climbed in beside him and snuggled against his body resting her head on his chest. She ran a hand over the smooth taut flesh and felt the slow and steady beat of his heart. Jack moved ever so slightly and draped an arm around her shoulder holding her close. It felt good, she felt protected and safe.

Rose sat up leaning on her elbow. She took great pleasure in watching him sleep. Even though he didn't look like the Jack she remembered, she found that if she looked into his eyes long enough she could see him; and for a flickering moment she did. But it was more than that, it was in his smile and the way his hair flopped in front of his face before he would run a hand through it to push it back. Her relationship with Jack only lasted for three days and yet she realized that she could pick up on so many meticulous things about him. His kiss was what Rose remembered most of all. It was his kiss that confirmed his identity. No one could kiss her like Jack. It always left her breathless and wanting for more. Rose ached for those kisses.

Her mind drifted to the night they made love for the first time. She remembered every touch, even now. Every kiss he planted seemed to set her body ablaze. Their sweat mingled together and their hands explored each other without restraint as Jack moved deep inside her with such gentle, fierce passion. Her arms and legs locking around him as he did. They made love as if it was to be their last and how true it was. The moment Titanic had met its fate Rose had never been so afraid. But there was an even greater fear, the fear of losing Jack. Due to her social status Rose's chances for survival stood at a much higher rate while Jack being a third class male made his chances slim to none. She realized that she was more afraid of losing him than anything else, so much in fact that her own life seemed insignificant and she was willing to do anything for him. But it seemed no matter how hard they fought they lost their battle against fate and death had separated them.

There were no words to describe the feelings that welled inside her from having him back in her arms again, even like this. She gently brushed aside the fallen strands of hair that covered over his eyes and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. Jack stirred and his eyes opened in little slits.

"Good morning." She said with a smile

"Good morning." He replied with his own tired smile.

"Did you sleep well?"

His voice came groggy, "Absolutely, now that I'm here with you."

She kissed him again on the lips, her hand cupping his face. Rose had so many questions, so many things she wanted to say. At the same time she didn't want to press him, she could tell he was still pretty tired.

"What's on your mind, Rose?"

She smiled; he must've been reading her thoughts. "We don't have to talk now Jack, I know how tired you are."

Jack smiled that handsome boyish smile that she loved so much. It sent her heart racing. "You're right; I guess you'll just have to give me another kiss if you really want to get any answers out of me."

Rose giggled and did as he said. Jack turned over on his back and looked up at the ceiling. He smacked his lips together and scrunched his face pretending to test the quality of her kiss.

"Mmm…no that's not good enough. I think I'll go back to bed."

She laughed and threw herself across Jack's chest seizing his mouth in a fierce kiss. Jack gripped her head allowing his fingers to comb through her long hair. She was feeling that fire again and a deep longing stirred within her breast. She wanted him; even like this she wanted him. The feel of his strong hard muscles underneath her hands only amplified that longing. Her lips lingered from his mouth traveling down to his neck. Jack made a pleasing sound deep within his throat and Rose continued to leave wet suckling kisses down his chest. She sat up resting on her chin, looking at him with a mischievous smile. "How was that?"

"I think I'm awake now."

Rose gave a throaty laugh and kissed his chest before resting her head on it. For a long time they said nothing, which was fine with Rose. She was content to simply lie in his arms.

"Jack?"

He made a noise that told her he was listening.

"Was what you said true? …..I mean about that woman you spoke of….you said she brought you back."

Jack didn't shy away from her question. "Yes, her name is Morana. She brought me back so that I could be with you. She sympathized with us and wanted us to be together."

"I suppose I should thank her." Rose said

"Yeah well, she's also a devious piece of work. But I guess I can admit that she does mean well."

"Is she pretty?"

Jack gave a light chuckle "What?"

Rose looked up into his eyes "Is she pretty?"

"Yes, but not compared to you."

That made her smile but she found that she could not hold it for long. Then she asked the one question she feared the most, "How long are you staying?" Jack's answer took a lot longer than she would've liked. He sat up in bed taking her with him. The bed sheet slid down into his lap. He gripped her face in his hands and stared at her intently making sure he had her full attention. His grip was gentle but it was also firm.

"Rose I want you to listen to me okay?" Rose nodded, her eyes wet "I'm not going anywhere, I'm here now. I'm not leaving you. I don't want you to worry about that. I'm here for you, nothing else matters. Alright?"

Her hands gripped his wrists "Do you promise?"

Rose saw the Adam's apple in his throat bob up and down as he swallowed. He looked like he was about to say something but decided to say something else "Rose, I'm here, you have me and I will never hurt you again."

That wasn't the answer she wanted. He was avoiding the question. "I want you to promise me Jack," tears of desperation stung her eyes, "Promise me that you won't let anything take you from me again, my heart could not stand it. Please, promise me that I will always have you."

A look of pain was evident in his eyes, finally he said, "I promise, Rose….you will always have me."

Rose felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She threw her arms around his neck and embraced him tightly. Jack buried his nose in her neck smelling her scent. It was the smell of rose water. At last he pulled away. "Rose I want you to fill me in on everything. I want to know everything that you've done for the past nine years. I want to know where you've been, the people you've met. I just want to know everything about you. Don't leave out any details." Jack's boyish enthusiasm made her giggle he was like a little boy begging for a bedtime story. He flopped down on the bed leaning over on his elbow and waited patiently for her to start.

She lay down beside him and began to tell her story and Jack's eyes remained focused on hers the entire time. He looked at her as if she were the only person in the world. Rose couldn't believe how lucky she was to have him; to have someone love her as much as he did. Even though Jack never said so Rose had never doubted those feelings. Jack was the kind of person who demonstrated his love rather than say so. She guessed maybe because for him the words weren't enough. But still she wished he would say them, if only just once. She would not force him to say it; she wanted it to be of his own free will. The night that he died in those freezing waters, she had told him that she loved him then. She was giving up at the time and thought that she was going to die but she still meant every word. His reply then had not been what she expected.

Even now as she made him promise to never leave her again his avoidance of the subject and his unwillingness to answer took her back to that night. Jack was hiding something from her and in the end Rose decided that she didn't want to know.

Rose told Jack everything, starting from the moment she stepped off the Carpathia. She told him why she took his last name, some of the hardships she endured. She told him of the times where she nearly starved but somehow managed to survive. She told him of the traveling she had done, how she got an acting job at the Playhouse, and how she had come to know the Mitchells. Rose got up from the bed and went over to her trunk. She started rummaging through her things until she pulled out the old wooden chest. She took it back over to the bed and proceeded to open it. Inside were tons of black and white photographs. Some had pictures of Rose and others were pictures of other people or just beautiful landscapes. She spread them over the bed and the two of them looked at each one. Jack picked up one after another and Rose would tell the story behind it. She told him how she planned to frame them; the ones that meant the most to her anyway. Then something caught Jack's eye. It peeped out from underneath the remaining pile of photographs. He reached over her spreading out the pile. His eyes widened. Slowly he picked it up and thumbed its blue heart shape. Rose watched him for a time.

"Is this what I think it is?" he whispered

Rose nodded, "The Heart of the Ocean."

Jack's face seemed to have saddened a little. He continued to finger the diamond's edges and shape. At that moment he was somewhere else. Rose knew he was thinking about all the trouble this thing had caused them; she knew because she felt the same way.

"You really kept this?" he asked

Rose's brow squinted a little, it sounded as if he were accusing her, and she could hear the hurt in his voice.

"Not for the reasons you think Jack," she said easing his thoughts, "believe me I thought about getting rid of it but it holds nicer memories too. Remember? The night you drew me like one of your French girls?" That brought a smile to his face and Rose was glad for it. "I couldn't just throw it away," she went on, "It's a reminder of my old life but it was also my only connection to you."

Jack brought his arm around her pulling her against his shoulder and kissed her forehead. Rose wrapped her arms around his waist.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Rose looked up, "Who is it?" she called out.

"Rose? It's me, Nancy."

She scooted out of the bed and gave Jack a quick kiss. "I'll be right back."

Rose opened the door and before she could say hello Nancy took off into her rambling. "Rose, good morning, Charlie and I are dressed and ready to go and…" Nancy looked at Rose from head to toe "Rose you're not dressed, you're still in your night gown, did you forget?"

"Forget what?"

"Remember? We invited you to come out with us for breakfast?"

"Oh, yes. I'm so sorry Nancy. I did forget."

Nancy's head cocked to the side suspiciously, "Rose are you okay, you seem so….happy…. you're smiling….and your face is turning red." She leaned over to peep inside her door "Oh my god is someone in there with you?" she said in excitement. Rose was stunned by her boldness. "Nancy!"

"Oooooh I knew it! He must be really special if he's got you all worked up. So who is he?"

Rose felt her face get even redder. Right on cue Nancy caught a glimpse of Jack smiling and waving at her from behind Rose. Nancy looked back at her, "Is that—is that Jonathan?"

"Nancy." Rose said with a rising inflection.

"What's he doing here I thought you hated him? What is going on?"

"Nancy!" she yelled, finally getting her attention. "I'll explain everything at breakfast okay; just give me a moment to get dressed."

"You should bring him along. We'll make it a couples outing." Rose knew it was more to it than that. Nancy was her friend and though she came on a little strong at times she knew she was just looking out for her. Nancy was suspicious of Jack and even though she had nothing to worry about she wanted to see what his motives really were.

"Alright Nancy, alright we'll meet you both outside" Rose closed the door before she could say anything else.

"She seems really nice." Jack said

"You have no idea." Rose said sitting down next to him, tousling her hair. "I love her dearly but she can be a handful sometimes. She wants you to come to breakfast with us. I think she thinks you may be trying to steal my virtue."

He smiled, "Sounds like fun. I would love to meet your friends. And as for your virtue…I guess I can see why she's worried, but I think I'm a pretty good boy.

Rose crawled over him seductively like a cat on all fours. She placed a hand on his chest pushing him down on his back. Her face was so close to his that they shared breath. Her voice came hot and enticing as she spoke. "And Mr. Dawson," she said while brushing his nose with hers, "I expect you to be a good boy today."

Jack laughed and twirled an imaginary mustache accompanied with a horrible French accent "But of course, whatever my lady commands."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Dolly's was the name of the restaurant. It was a popular place among the townsfolk known for its delicious hot dogs and delectable breakfast platters. The four of them had found a nice cozy spot in a four seated leather booth with a big square window with dark green drapes at its top corners that were pinched in the middle and arced in a decorative fashion. Outside they had a lovely view of the busy streets of the town starting to come alive again from the start of a new day. People slowly started occupying the streets. Cars drove by, some coughed and sputtered making sounds like gunfire spewing from their engines. Others were quiet and sped along with a gentle hum. Children playfully ran in an out the streets sometimes rudely bumping into adults. Out on one of the far street corners Jack saw a paperboy with a stack of papers tucked under one arm and holding out another announcing the latest news.

The restaurant carried the clinking sounds of plates and silverware mingling with the sound of idle chatter coming from the other customers that filled the diner. Inside their booth the morning sunlight reflected of the top of the long oak table and through their tall water glasses. Jack sat near the window with Rose's shoulder leaning against his and her left hand clutching his right. Rose, Nancy, and Charlie shared laughs and stories that Jack hadn't a clue about. He just sat there politely watching, throwing in a smile or a chuckle every now and then. Not because he had found anything funny but simply to alleviate the awkwardness. He took a sip from his glass so as to give himself something to do. Jack couldn't deny feeling like an intruder on a private party. The only thing that made the outing tolerable was being with Rose. He loved watching her smile and laugh.

He did find the Mitchells to be rather nice people—well Charlie at least. Jack had been wrong in his assumption about Nancy. She was a small woman that reminded Jack of a little pixie. Outside of Rose's room Nancy had sounded like an upbeat woman with a bubbly personality. Now it seemed like she had nothing but daggers for him. In between the laughs and every time she took a drink of water he felt her eyes watching him.

It took him back to the time when he had been invited to dinner in the first class dining room after saving Rose's life. He remembered the atmosphere of first class being rather stuffy and uptight, people walking with their noses in the air and their chests poked out. Women walked like moving statues. Jack thought it rather silly he could see why Rose wanted out. He had purposely arrived early to catch a few tips before dinner, taking mental notes on how to walk and talk, the proper way to greet and escort a lady. Jack had wanted to make a good impression. Rose seemed to be the only one appreciative of his efforts. With her arm hooked into his Jack felt like the luckiest guy in the world escorting the most beautiful girl in the room. It may not have showed but on the inside Jack had the biggest grin. In a way he had wanted to vex his competition as a possible suitor. Cal had only been fascinated in his little experiment of inviting a steerage rat into what Molly referred to as a snake pit. Ruth would look at him as though she had this sour taste in her mouth and shoot him the same evil stares that Nancy was giving him now. Jack knew Ruth had perceived him as potential threat to Rose's marriage. He'd be lying to himself if he said that wasn't true. He was falling for her daughter and Jack knew Rose didn't love her fiancée. He doubted even if Rose wasn't engaged to be married Ruth would ever offer her blessing for him to pursue her daughter.

Now here in the diner Jack felt as if he were back in that same situation and Jonathan Calvert was going to have to work his charm to win over her friends. Charlie, he didn't think would be so difficult but Nancy might take a little time. Every time she looked at him with those big suspicious eyes he just smiled his nicest most genuine smile and he knew that only irritated her more. It made him laugh a little. Nancy took another gulp of water, "So I guess I'm going to have to be the one to bring up the question everyone has been wondering."

Rose and Jack both shot a quick look at each other and then back to Nancy. "What question is that dear?" Charlie asked. "Oh just the one regarding Mr. Calvert here and how he came to be among us." She took another sip of water. Jack looked at Rose and could almost see her inward groan, she had been anticipating this. He gently squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"What would you like to know?" Nancy's attention went to Jack clearly not expecting him to answer. The explanation she had wanted to come from Rose. "Well," she said. "I just would like to know how this strange man who comes seemingly out of nowhere plaguing Rose with his persistent visits somehow ends up in her bedroom this morning." Charlie choked on a cracker and Jack could see Rose's face beginning to turn red. Nancy was obviously not one to beat around the bush; she went right for the jugular. Jack just hadn't expected her to do it so soon.

"Mrs. Mitchell," he said calmly keeping the smile on his face. "I assure you…"

"Nancy," Charlie cut in, "Maybe we should talk about something else, it's really none of our business."

"No, no, no" Nancy continued on before Charlie could get the last word out, "I want to hear what Mr. Calvert has to say. Jonathan right? That is your name isn't it? Or did you forget? Rose tells me that you were referring to yourself as Jack Dawson? Are you some sort of con artist out to steal Rose's money?"

"Nancy, that's enough." Jack could hear the heat in Rose's voice.

"Mrs. Mitchell, may I call you Nancy?"

"If it pleases you to do so."

"Nancy let me say that I am sorry if I have given you the wrong impression about me. It was brought to my attention that I may have suffered head injuries from my accident and for moment I did forget who I was. My memories are slowly starting to come back. Yes, my name is Jonathan Calvert; you can call me John if you like. I am 25 years old and I used to work at the….at the…."

"Hercules Steel Mill" Charlie added

"Hercules Steel Mill, that's right. Thanks Charlie."

"Don't mention it." Nancy shot Charlie a look.

"So how is it that you know our Rose?"

"Oh, well I'm glad you asked." Jack paused for a moment and looked to see Rose smiling at him. Clearing his throat he said, "We met a long time ago actually, when we were younger."

"Yes. That's right." Rose said adding to the story.

Nancy turned to Rose with obvious skepticism. "But Rose when I asked you a couple days ago you said never met him before in your life."

"Right, that was before we had the opportunity to sit down and talk to each other and John here," she said nodding over to him, "was able to jog my memory."

Jack and Rose looked to each other and smiled seeming to read the other's thoughts. They were like a couple of tennis players hitting the ball back and forth playing off the story they were trying to build together. Jack went on "You see Nancy when I first met Rose many years ago she hadn't even been fully aware of my existence I saw her from afar and I thought her to be the most beautiful girl in the world."

"I guess you can say from that moment I was crazy about her but at the same time I knew she was out of my league. There was another fella who had his eye on her." Jack was going off the top of his head trying to formulate his story without giving much away, he told partial truths and thought of ways to retell certain events in their history so that it would sound believable. Rose looked at him also wondering where he was going with this and possibly looking for a place to chime in.

"That still doesn't explain how you know her."

"I'm getting to that, you see…"

"I was out on a stroll one night." Rose jumped in

"At night? What in the world were you doing out in the middle of the night?"

"I wanted to get some air." She said with a shrug and a tight lipped smile. Jack had to cover his mouth to stifle a laugh.

"You wanted to get some air?"

"Yes of course, it was quite refreshing."

"But in the middle of the night?"

"Is everybody ready to order?" Charlie spoke up trying to divert the conversation. "Where's the waitress it's been well over 15 minutes."

"I was out for a stroll and I came across this wooden bridge right above this beautiful river. Feeling adventurous I decided to get a better look at it. Ja—I—I mean John just so happened to be out at the time and had caught sight of me looking over the bridge."

Jack nodded "That's right and I guess I must've scared you or something?" Jack said with a rising inflection in his voice. He squinted his eyes at Rose making a face at her as if he couldn't quite remember. Rose's face started to contort in laughter she nodded in agreement to Jack and hid her face by taking another drink from her glass.

"Yes…yes that's exactly it" she said trying to regain her composure "In fact you frightened me so much that I fell over the side of the bridge."

Nancy leaned in "Good heavens just how far over were you leaning?"

"Oh I was leaning pretty damn far." Rose flashed a knowing look to Jack, both trying to stifle their laughter at their private joke.

Jack wanted to fall out laughing. "Luckily John was there to rescue me. He pulled me back just in time before I could start swimming with the fish."

"There. You see honey," Charlie said hitting a hand on the table and gesturing out to Jack, "A good guy. He saved Rose's life. I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Nancy looked at her husband who clearly wanted her to drop the subject. "Wait a minute Charlie." She adjusted herself in her seat and leaned in slightly closer "Okay tell me something…..where did this happen?"

At the same time both Jack and Rose spoke without thinking. Jack blurted out Wisconsin while Rose blurted Southampton. They froze and looked at each other as though they had blown their cover. To fix their mistake Jack switched his answer to Southampton and Rose simultaneously changed hers to Wisconsin. Finally Jack quickly corrected their mistake and said "Southampton, Wisconsin."

"Southampton, Wisconsin?" She asked raising an eyebrow. "I've never heard of it."

Jack gave a fleeting gesture with his hand to say he wasn't surprised. "Not many people have it's a really small town."

Rose nodded as he spoke. "That's right; you probably couldn't even spot it on the map."

Nancy sat there speechless. Looking at the two of them as though they were completely daft. She shook her head trying to take in everything that she was hearing. Jack felt the tension lift a little when Nancy's tone softened; she was probably feeling overwhelmed and confused by everything that she was hearing.

"So what happened there?" she said pointing to the bandage on Jack's forehead.

Jack felt the bandage "Oh this? A battle scar, got it the other night from a couple o' thugs that tried to take advantage of Miss Rose." He hadn't meant for his voice to take on such a hard edge, it almost sounded threatening. He couldn't help it the thought of what those men almost did to her made his blood boil.

"Oh my God." Nancy said covering her mouth "Rose, they didn't hurt you did they?"

Even Charlie looked concerned. The bear of a man suddenly looked as if he had gotten bigger and his muscles were tense. He looked hostile and ready to knock the teeth in of those same thugs should they ever decide to come in to the restaurant.

"No they didn't hurt her," Jack said easing everyone's concerns "But I made them sorry the thought ever crossed their minds. After I was done with them I'm sure they understood the severity of their crime."

Charlie's muscles relaxed as he let out a deep breath and nodded. "Thank God for you John." Even Nancy added her thanks.

Jack had only just realized that his hand was balled into fist trembling on top of the table. He relaxed when Rose gently smoothed her hand over his and gripped it in hers. It was a signal for him to calm down. Looking into her soft green eyes he found that he could.

"Afterward Rose took me back to her home and treated the cut on my forehead. It was storming outside and practically raining cats and dogs so she offered to let me stay for the night."

Jack lowered his eyes to Nancy making sure he had her attention. "That's why I was in Rose's room this morning."

Nancy said nothing. She almost appeared sorry for judging but Jack knew he would only be let off the hook for the moment. Nancy was still wary of him.

Thankfully the waitress finally showed up. "Ah there she is! At last! I am starving. For a moment there I thought I was going to have to start eating my own foot." Charlie joked.

The others laughed and the waitress joined in enjoying Charlie's childlike enthusiasm. "Sorry to have kept you all waiting. Are we all ready to order?" she asked whipping out her pen and paper.

Jack and Rose released the other's hand and adjusted themselves in their seats. Jack looked up at the waitress for a fleeting moment and then did a quick double take at what he saw. His jaw dropped as recognition shot straight through him like a bolt of lightning. He felt frozen in place and suddenly felt more aware of his heart beating against his rib cage. The blond hair, the blue eyes it all hit him like a slap in the face. She looked different though, instead of her long blond curls traveling down the length of her back, it was pulled up into a messy ponytail. And instead of her black dress she wore a long sleeved tan buttoned up shirt and a black knee high skirt covered by a white apron. Above the pocket on the left side of her shirt she wore a name tag. "Amanda" is what it read but Jack knew that was not her name. It was Morana. Morana was acting as their waitress.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jack couldn't believe this. Though it didn't quite look like her he was sure that it was. Her name tag may have said "Amanda" but it was indeed Morana. Her features were toned down somewhat making her appear more flawed and human as opposed to her usual flawless and unnatural looks.

He gave a mental curse and could only stare, mouth agape. Jack didn't hear the sound of everyone else talking at the table. They were far away muffled and disoriented. Morana hadn't really paid Jack much attention. She seemed to be enjoying her job as their waitress and was simply going about her business taking their orders and laughing at another one of Charlie's jokes.

Morana finally looked at him, a slight twinkle in her eye and a crooked smile to go with it. What was she doing? What game was this? He was starting to think that she just enjoyed nettling him. He heard his name from a far off place, no, not his name Jonathan's. Someone was calling him.

"John."

And then it came more insistent snapping him out of Morana's spell over him.

"John!"

Jack shook his head and blinked several times. "Huh…what?"

"Are you going to order something?" Rose asked

"Oh…yeah, I-I am ...um I guess I'll have eggs."

Morana nodded as she jotted down his order, "And how would like them? Scrambled? Over easy?"

"Scrambled would be fine and a side of bacon, and two slices of toast."

"And to drink?"

"Orange juice."

"Very good, sir."

Her attention moved over to Rose "And for you miss… my god, you're Rose Dawson aren't you? Of the Actor's Playhouse?"

Jack's eyes darted back and forth between Morana and Rose.

Rose gave her a shy smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"Yep that's our Rose." said Charlie. "She's a natural."

"It's such a pleasure to meet you and I must say you're a fantastic actress and even more beautiful in person."

Rose was smiling from ear to ear "Why thank you you're too kind."

"I wonder could I possibly trouble you for an autograph."

"Of course."

Jack squinted his eyes at her, confused by what was happening. Until he saw her handing Rose a small piece of paper and her pen. His panic was building and suddenly Jack realized that he did not want death touching her. Just as Rose was about to take the paper Jack jumped to his feet.

"No! Don't touch her!"

Rose, Nancy, Charlie, and Morana looked at Jack completely stunned by his outburst. The entire restaurant became silent and the other customers looked on at their table looking for the culprit responsible for ruining their tranquil breakfast.

Jack looked around and let out a nervous laugh. He took his seat and could feel his face reddening.

"Is everything alright sir?"Morana asked

"Great. Everything's great. I'm sorry I just wanted Ms. Dawson here to enjoy herself without being bothered by the public. I can be a bit overprotective."

"I'm sorry everyone!" he called out "I'm sorry please enjoy your meals." And they did but not before shooting Jack a few suspicious glares.

Rose sucked in her lips to keep from laughing and finally managed to say "It's fine John."

She took the paper, signed it and handed it back to her. Morana proceeded to take Rose's order, gave a curtsy and said "Your orders will be right up."

Jack scowled and huffed out a breath. Was this what spending a month with Rose would be like? Morana popping up anytime she pleases?

His attention was brought back to the table when Rose put a gentle hand over his. "Are you alright?"

Jack told himself to relax and to not let Morana's nettling ruin the outing. "I'm fine. Sorry everyone." He said with a sigh "I'm just going to go to the restroom for a minute I'll be right back."

He walked past several tables of talking customers, some that gave him irritated looks. Jack didn't really need to go to the restroom he was looking for Morana. He checked over his shoulder to see if Rose and her friends were still watching. When he saw that they weren't Jack took a quick left turn instead of the right towards the men's room making his way to the far back of the diner. He tried not to look suspicious but he still caught the attention of several onlookers.

Jack saw her picking up a tray from the kitchen window and looking at a few breakfast tickets from the counter.

"You really do think this is funny don't you?" he said moving up behind her.

Morana did a quick glance over her shoulder and went back to her business. She smiled "Hello Jack, are you enjoying your outing?"

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm working."

The chef rang the bell at the counter "order up!"

Morana picked up the tray and started to walk towards a customer's table and Jack followed close behind.

"No, I mean what are you doing?"

"I told you I'm working. This is really fun; people are treating me nice and smiling at me. They treat me like I'm a… person. had it not been for my other profession I think I would've taken this job. I even get tips."

Jack stood there flabbergasted.

"Here you go sir" Morana said leaning over the table "there's your coffee, and for you ma'am, eggs sunny side up." They murmured their thanks.

"You don't fool me, Morana; you're here keeping tabs on me."

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow and scoffed "Jack, are you really that full of yourself?"

His face flushed. Morana laughed as she shook her head and started heading back to the kitchen. "That is why you're here isn't it?"

"No, it isn't. I keep trying to tell you Jack, I'm working."

"I think I got that. You're acting as a waitress."

"No…I mean really…I'm working." Morana started to organize the items on her tray. "See that man over there?" she said directing Jack's gaze with her eyes "the one wearing the navy blue suit and striped tie sitting over by the window. He's sitting in front of a much younger woman?"

"The man and his daughter?"

"Daughter?" she laughed "hardly."

"There's a blood vessel in his brain that's going to burst in a couple of hours. Stroke. Treatment for it won't be invented for several years."

"Pity," she said with a sigh "You would think he would spend those last moments with his wife and yet here he is with this pretty little strumpet. Poor thing is debating whether or not she should tell him that she's pregnant. How scandalous, won't the wife be surprised and he won't even be around to see her look of shock."

Jack saw the girl she was referring to. The girl's hand went under the table placing it flat over her belly.

"Trust me, Jack it's just mere coincidence that I'm here with you. And okay, I admit I did want to see how you two were doing. I do love seeing a happy couple. I've seen those that take advantage of love, do hurtful things to their loved ones yet claim to love them. If everyone suddenly knew when it was their time to die I guarantee you they would be more appreciative of what they have."

"Okay what was the deal with asking Rose for her autograph? What was that about?"

Her eyes took on an innocent look as if she were shocked he would ask. "What? I'm a fan. She's brilliant."

Jack pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. "You're a piece o' work you know that?"

Morana gave him a devilish smile. "Oh silly me, look I've fallen behind on my duties, got to get these plates to their tables. You should get back too. They're wondering where you are."

Jack had almost forgot, he wondered how long he had been gone. He turned and started walking back to his table. "Jack." She said calling out to him. He turned back. She still had that smile on her lips. "I'm curious, has anyone ever told you how handsome you look when you're angry?"

Jack could feel his face turning beet red. He said nothing as he continued on his way to the front of the diner.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

When Jack returned to the table Rose and Nancy weren't there. "There you are did you get lost on the way?" Charlie asked.

"No, I just stopped to have a chat with someone."

"That someone wouldn't have happened to have been our waitress would it?"

"What? No, believe me Charlie it's not what you think."

"C'mon John I saw the way you were looking at her, she a friend of yours, an old flame?" He said teasingly.

"Charlie its nothing, okay. Just let it go."

"Oh relax, just having a bit o' fun with you."

"Where are the girls?"

"They went to the ladies room." Charlie said taking a swallow of water. Jack nodded and scooted back to his spot by the window in the booth. Charlie waited until Jack was situated before speaking. "John, I want to apologize for my wife, I hope she hasn't offended you."

Jack waved a dismissive hand "It's fine, she's just concerned about Rose. She's her friend and she cares about her. You both do. I get why she'd be suspicious."

He smiled "You know, I've always been a good judge of character and I can sense that you're a pretty good guy. I know you are."

"Thanks Charlie, you're not so bad yourself." Charlie's smile faded into a neutral look, "However I must admit Nancy did bring up some interesting points." Jack sat quietly waiting for him to finish, "Though I've never been able to get to know you officially, you've never given me reason to think wrongly of you. Now here you are pursuing my wife's friend, I don't mind, and it's none of my business, but it's just that I too find it somewhat odd. You never mentioned anything about having a love. Whenever the boys at work mention their wives, girlfriends, or just some woman that meets their fancy, you never say anything. We've seen the way the ladies look at you. A guy like you would never have a problem in that area. You could have just about any woman you want." Charlie laughed "There are even rumors that you might be a fairy."

Jack scowled "Hey, I like women just as much as the next guy, alright."

"That's good to hear, nice to know the rumors aren't true." He said in another belly laugh.

"All I'm saying is you never mentioned knowing Rose before and I know you two didn't actually meet the way you say you did. I believe that load of crock about as much as my wife does."

"Nothing gets past you huh?" The two men laughed "John, surely you felt ridiculous telling that story?"

"Yeah I did."

"Listen. If you and Rose don't want to share how you two met then that's fine with me. What matters to me is that you be good to her."

"You don't have to worry about that Charlie."

"Oh I know I don't, for two reasons: The first being because I know you are a good man with a good head on his shoulders." Charlie took another swallow of water.

"And the second reason?"

"The second reason is if you ever did do anything to hurt her I would break your legs."

Jack smiled, the man really did care about Rose, "And I would let you."

Charlie gave a hearty laugh "I like you John. And I'm choosing to trust you until you prove otherwise. But in all seriousness Rose is a good woman. I've grown to love her like a sister. She's beautiful, talented; a woman like her deserves to be happy. And the way she looks at you…well, I've never seen Rose look like that before. Her eyes just light up." He said demonstrating with his eyes.

"It's a good change from the earlier days where she would spend her days indoors withdrawn and melancholy, especially around the month of April, never would say why. She would just sit by her window, her eyes puffy, blotchy, and red. Nancy was always there for support and would try to cheer her up but Rose just wouldn't have it. Tried to coach her into talking about it, just to ease some of the pain off of her you know?" Charlie said balling his hand into fist, showing it to Jack to stress his words.

"But all she would say is that it was something that she had to deal with on her own, one day at a time. She has the look of someone who's been through some things. I don't know how to describe it. It's like there's this hardness about her. And that can only come from someone who's experienced something life changing or just down right awful."

"I know the feeling." Jack said

"Really?" Charlie asked implying him to go on.

He nodded. Jack took a moment before speaking. He knew all too well what Rose had went through and that he was partly to blame for Rose's pain but he wasn't about to say that, instead he said something else. "When I was a boy I used to live on a farm with my parents."

"Just you and the ma and pa huh? No brothers or sisters?"

"Nah, just the three of us." Jack gave a wistful smile going back into his memory. "Ma would let me help her cook in the kitchen and Pa would have me helping him out in the fields. Then around winter when the lake froze over he'd take me ice fishing."

"I wasn't the best son though. I was a real terror. My old neighbors could vouch for that. Mrs. Williams for example, hated when I pestered her cat with a sling shot I had put together. Pa thought it was funny, but Ma…" Jack laughed, "She tore my hide."

"I had a tendency to avoid all my responsibilities. I'd leave home and go off and have some adventure somewhere, sketching small animals, swimming in the lake in the summer time with my friends."

Jack's voice became somber. "Then when I was 15 everything changed."

Charlie leaned in a little closer "What happened?"

Jack never thought he be telling anyone this story, Rose didn't even know. He took a deep breath. "I awoke one morning, Pa was yelling at me as usual because I hadn't mucked out the stables or plowed the fields. I started to do as he told me but in the end I just took off thinking I would be back to finish my work later. Ran to the lake with a few friends for a swim and just lost track of the time, before I knew it, it was getting to be sundown. I knew my father was going to kill me when I got home, only when I got back I had no home to go to. My house was completely covered in flames. There was no way of getting in. Our neighbors tried to help put it out but it was no good. When I asked where my parents were one of the neighbors told me that they were still inside."

"My father had gone back in to save my mother. I tried to do something, anything, I wanted to run back into that house and save my parents, but someone held me back. I waited and waited to see my parent's faces but they never came out."

"I'm sorry to hear that, John."

"Yeah, well it bothered me for a long time. I used to think what if I had stayed home that day and did as my father told me. I would've been there, I probably could've helped, or …or…"

"You would probably be dead?"

"I'd probably be dead, you're right."

"I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way John but maybe it was a good thing that you weren't there. Maybe it just wasn't your time to go. Life can be a cruel and funny thing sometimes but maybe the Lord Almighty had bigger plans for you and needed you alive that day."

Jack thought about Rose and despite the sadness of the memory it brought a smile to his lips "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Charlie's voice switched to a lighter tone "I was right you and Rose must be good for each other, you're both a couple o' tortured souls."

Jack laughed "So does that mean that I have your permission to pursue her?"

"By all means, now you just have to convince the misses. Speaking of which here they come now. And let's lighten the mood a bit, enough of this sad music."

"I'm way ahead of you."

The four of them all managed to enjoy the rest of the outing and Jack was feeling a little more welcome to the party. When their food arrived, Jack practically inhaled it all. He couldn't remember food ever tasting this good, all the different delectable textures and flavors bursting into his mouth. Soft, chewy, crunchy, and salty. It all seemed like a new experience for him. Like a child discovering snow for the first time. While dead he never really missed eating mostly because it was never necessary. He had long forgotten what bacon tasted like. Even the bitter taste of the slightly burned edges was a joy. The others looked on at him in astonishment. Nancy spoke up and interrupted his rapid eating.

"Um…Jonathan the food is already dead so I don't think it's going to run away."

Jack wiped his mouth with a napkin "I'm sorry" he said with a boyishly giddy grin "It just feels like I haven't had a meal in years."

Everyone laughed, even Nancy.

After breakfast the four left the diner with full bellies and broad grins. Both men proceeded to escort their women out the door. Jack and Rose walked in front while Charlie and Nancy took up the rear a couple feet back. Rose slid her arm through Jack's and looked up into his eyes. Though they were brown she could still see the same life and intensity in them that made her fall in love with him all those years ago. Jack held her gaze and smiled down at her showing off his dimples. His smile was contagious.

"Why are you smiling at me?" Rose asked

"Because _you're_ smiling not to mention you're so beautiful."

She blushed. "But do you have to stare?"

"Yes. I'm almost afraid to blink because then I would lose sight of you. The moments I spend with you are precious to me Rose."

Rose leaned in closer against Jack and clasped his hand in hers. "Then let's make each day count."

Passing by the windows of the diner Jack had only been dimly aware of the muffled sound of a woman screaming beyond the glass and the brief image of a man collapsing to the floor. The man, Jack knew, had just suffered a stroke.


End file.
